Cabs and public transport in Goa: GoaMiles, buses and sharing a taxi

Checked on 30 October 2026. Bus fares are from Kadamba's citizen charter, updated 28 January 2026. Taxi fares are set by the state per kilometre; the price in the app or at the counter is the one that counts.

Is there Ola or Uber in Goa?

No. Within Goa, you can't book an Ola, Uber or Rapido. In March 2026, Goa's transport minister told the state Assembly that two app-based taxi services operate in Goa: GoaMiles and Goa Taxi App, with about 5,800 taxis registered between them.

Local taxi operators have long opposed outside apps. The state's draft rules for taxi apps, published in May 2025, would let apps use only Goa-registered taxis with valid permits and drivers with a Goa-issued badge. In March 2026 the government was still going through the objections, and the rules weren't final.

GoaMiles and Goa Taxi App

• GoaMiles has run since 2018 and was set up with the Goa Tourism Development Corporation. It works much like the apps you know: you set a pickup and drop, see the fare and a driver comes to you.
• Goa Taxi App is the state's newer app. It started in 2023 at the new Mopa airport.

Both use Goa's own registered taxis. Download one before you land: phone signal and queues at the airport are the wrong time to set up an app.

At the airports you'll also find taxi counters run by local associations. At Mopa, look out for the blue cabs: the state gave their permits to local people whose land went to the airport.

Taxis, autos and pilots

• Tourist taxis are white, and wait at the airports, railway stations and outside the bigger hotels. The regular taxis are black with a yellow top. The state fixes taxi fares per kilometre, but agree on the price for the whole trip before you get in.
• Autos have meters, but most drivers don't use them. Agree on the fare first.
• Pilots are Goa's motorcycle taxis, with yellow mudguards and a yellow number plate. A pilot carries one passenger, and you agree on the fare before you set off. Since July 2026 you can also book one through the state's Mhaje Driver app; the fare is the same and you pay the pilot.
• Scooters are how many visitors get around. Rent from a proper rental shop, carry your licence and wear a helmet.

If a driver overcharges you, Goa Tourism asks you to report it to the nearest Transport Department office.

Buses

Kadamba (KTC), the state's bus company, runs shuttle buses between the main towns: non-stop and without standing passengers, about every 10 minutes from early morning (6:15 am on Panaji – Margao) until 7 or 8 pm.

From both airports there are AC shuttle buses, priced per passenger:

Local buses, run by Kadamba and private operators, stop everywhere and are the cheapest way around: the state caps fares at ₹10 for the first 3 km. They're slow, and the last buses on the main routes leave between about 7 and 10 pm.

Kadamba also runs buses out of Goa, such as Margao to Pune and Mumbai and Panaji to Kolhapur. You can book them on goakadamba.com.

Ferries

Where there's no bridge, river ferries still cross. Goa Tourism lists Panaji to Betim across the Mandovi, Old Goa to Divar Island, Divar to Narve, Querim to Tiracol in the far north and Cavelossim to Assolna in the south. They're slow but scenic, and some save a long drive round.

Trains and stations

• Madgaon (Margao) is Goa's biggest station, where the Konkan Railway meets the South Western Railway. It's the stop for South Goa: Colva, Benaulim and, further on, Palolem.
• Thivim is the stop for North Goa: Mapusa, Calangute, Anjuna and Arambol.
• Karmali is near Old Goa and Panaji, and Vasco da Gama is close to Dabolim airport.

At Madgaon, the prepaid taxi booth is in front of the station, not at the back.

Sharing a cab from the station or airport

A train pulling into Thivim or Madgaon is full of people heading to the same few beaches, and each of them queues for their own taxi. One taxi for three or four of you costs each person a fraction.

• Agree on one meeting spot everyone can find, such as the prepaid booth at Madgaon or the station's main exit.
• One person books the taxi, in GoaMiles, Goa Taxi App or at the counter, and the others pay them back by UPI.
• Agree on drops before you go. Calangute and Anjuna are close; Calangute and Arambol aren't. If drops are far apart, get off together at one point.

If you're on your own and going exactly where an airport shuttle goes, the shuttle is cheaper. For anywhere else, or with luggage, a shared taxi is easier.

North Goa to South Goa

North to south is the longest trip most visitors make in Goa: Calangute to Palolem is about 82 km and two hours by road. You can do it by bus for very little: a local bus to Panaji, the shuttle to Margao and another bus south. That's three buses and several hours with luggage. A taxi takes two hours but costs a lot on your own.

Plenty of visitors split their stay between the north and the south, so others are often making the same move. Share it, and the cost drops fast:

If someone gets on at Panaji or off at Margao, split by distance instead; how to split a cab fare fairly shows how.

Leaving Goa

Heading home to Pune or Mumbai? A shared outstation cab works the same way in reverse: the Pune to Goa guide covers the route, the fare and how to split it. Around New Year and at the end of long weekends, lots of people leave on the same days, so find or start your ride early.

How Sobat helps

Sobat works with whatever cab you can get: GoaMiles, Goa Taxi App, a counter taxi or an auto. Search from the station or airport to your beach, and you'll see rides already going that way. Join one in a tap. If nothing fits yet, start a ride: everyone who searches that way sees it, so people off your train or flight can join.

For north to south, choose Outstation. Sobat follows the road, so someone getting on at Panaji or off at Margao can share part of the trip, and the fare splits by distance.

Women can choose women-only rides, which only women can see and join. Before you join, you see the ride, not the people: where it goes, when it leaves and its rating. Names come once you're in. You book the cab yourselves and settle by UPI or cash; Sobat never handles the money. Sharing a cab with strangers safely has more tips.

Sources

• Goa Legislative Assembly: Transport Minister's reply on taxi apps and the aggregator guidelines (9 March 2026)
• Kadamba Transport Corporation: citizen charter, fares and shuttle timings (28 January 2026)
• Goa Tourism: getting around in Goa
• Angel One: Goa's motorcycle pilots go digital with the Mhaje Driver app
• BITS Pilani Goa: how to reach (prepaid taxis at Madgaon station)