‘What’s the problem with them?’: German vlogger alleges Goa taxi drivers harassed him for booking app cab

German travel vlogger’s unsettling experience in Goa has reignited debate around the long-standing tussle between local taxi operators and app-based cab services in the coastal state.

The vlogger, Alex Welder, who is currently travelling across India, shared a video on Instagram describing how he and his partner were allegedly harassed by local rickshaw drivers at Patnem Beach after they tried to book a ride through the GoaMiles app.

According to Welder, the issue began when a rickshaw driver quoted ₹500 for a short ride — a route that cost only ₹300 on the GoaMiles app. When the couple chose to go ahead with the app-based booking, the local rickshaw operators allegedly began following them and the cab.

Things took an even stranger turn when the GoaMiles driver arrived to pick them up. He allegedly asked the couple to cover the vehicle’s number plate, fearing that local drivers nearby were recording videos or taking photos. “What’s the problem with them?” Alex can be heard asking in his video. “Anytime we say we are ordering from GoaMiles, they say ‘it’s not allowed here’, but you can actually order the cab on the app, so obviously it’s allowed,” he said.

But the ordeal didn’t end there. A few minutes into the journey, their car was reportedly stopped by the police, leaving the travellers confused. Welder said he didn’t fully understand what had gone wrong but later realised that the driver had been fined ₹500.

“I can understand that the issue that people have with these ride-sharing apps pretty much undercutting the local prices… Eventually, I paid the ₹500 fine for the driver, and maybe someone can help me understand what was going on. That situation obviously doesn’t make any sense,” the German traveller said at the end of the video.

His post quickly caught the attention of social media users, especially frequent visitors to Goa. Many sympathised with his experience and criticised the state’s transport ecosystem. One user commented, “It’s a huge issue in Goa… They are destroying tourism in Goa… If they go by government rates, they would get much more rides and profit also… This is the reason why tourists are avoiding India and going to Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia.”

Others tried to strike a more balanced tone. “Aw that’s a shame to hear,” another user wrote. “When we were in Goa trying to use the app it didn’t work for us, so locals helped us get taxis booked and we drove a scooter for the month we were there.”

The incident has once again put a spotlight on the ongoing conflict between Goa’s traditional taxi unions and app-based services like GoaMiles. While local drivers claim that such platforms eat into their earnings, travellers argue that the lack of transparency and inflated fares often turn what should be a relaxing vacation into a stressful ordeal.