Panaji:
The Goa government is examining whether they can have a moratorium on the number of vehicles registered under the rent-a-bike scheme amidst rising number of bikes being rented out to tourists in the state.
State Transport Director Arun Desai told PTI that the state transport authority (STA) meeting would take a view on whether to restrict the number of bikes given under the scheme.
The Goa government had allowed bikes on rent in view of the demand from visitors. Following this, several people purchased bikes which are given on hire for a cost of Rs 250 - Rs 1,500 depending on the tourist season.
Traditional tourist taxi operators, who have been severely affected because of these bikes, had demanded a ceiling on the number of such vehicles permitted in the state.
Mr Desai said that there are around 14000-odd bikes under the scheme.
"We need to see whether for a state like Goa, we really need such number of bikes," the director said, adding that the final call on whether to allow more bikes or stop at a certain number would be taken by the STA.
Goa receives more than 26 lakh tourists annually. The bikes taken on rent come in handy for visitors, thus sparing them from paying hefty sums to tourist taxis in the state, which operate without meter.