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In 2014, Newton Sequeira wrapped up his late-night shift on his first day at a new job in Panaji, only to discover he had no way of returning home to Margao, located around 40 kilometres away. Stranded on Panaji’s Miramar Road around 9 pm, Sequeira waited at least 15 minutes before an autorickshaw agreed to take him, charging a steep fare for the late-night journey.
The next day, he learned from colleagues that no buses operate after 7 pm. “I didn’t have the money to buy a vehicle, but I needed one to commute. Within a couple of months, I took out a loan and bought a two-wheeler to make travel to work easier,” he recalled.
More than a decade later, not much has changed for Goa’s residents, or the tourists who visit the tropical state year-round.
Locals say the lack of public transport is making daily commutes difficult and degrading their quality of life. In cities like Panaji, many are forced to buy private vehicles, further straining already overburdened roads.
Rakesh Mundye, who lives on the Kadamba Plateau about 7 km from the state capital, says every member of his family needs their own vehicle. “We have only one two-wheeler. Every day, I have to take a couple of hours off work to drop my son to class or run errands if my wife needs to go to the market in Panaji,” he said.
An autorickshaw ride costs around Rs 700-800 for a one-way trip, Mundye added. “There’s no government regulation of autorickshaw fares. With no cab aggregators like Ola, Uber or Rapido, local taxis charge as much as Rs 1,200 for the same trip.”
While tourists may not mind paying higher fares or renting vehicles, for residents the lack of affordable public transport makes daily life increasingly expensive. Autorickshaws are scarce, and the state’s underdeveloped public transport system struggles to provide last-mile connectivity.
Miidupawan, a cashier at a Panaji casino, said buses operate every 15-20 minutes. “For a 10-minute ride from Miramar to the Kadamba Transport Corporation (KTC) bus station, I have to wait far too long. I’d rather pay a little extra for a cab to save time and add convenience.”
Commuting from other towns such as Porvorim, Mapusa, Margao and Vasco da Gama is no easier.
Ravi Wainkar, a resident of Porvorim, said he often has to change two buses to reach Panaji. “They’re usually late, infrequent and don’t run in the evening. It’s hard to make even a day trip if something urgent comes up,” he said.
Sometimes he stays overnight at a relative’s home in the capital. “Not everyone has that option. Bus frequency must improve.”
According to Goa’s Comprehensive Mobility Plan (CMP), prepared in 2020, bus services operate between 7 am and 7 pm, with peak-hour frequency at 10-15 minutes and off-peak at 15-20 minutes. Post 7 pm, services become scarce.
Commuters also report poor first- and last-mile connectivity, forcing them to walk long distances before boarding buses — an added burden for the elderly and infirm.
Public transport is run by both private operators and the state-run KTC, but the two systems are not synchronised, making transfers difficult.
The consequences are reflected in Goa’s vehicle registration numbers. The 2024-25 Goa Economic Survey reports 1.35 million registered vehicles as of December 31, 2024 — close to the state’s estimated population of 1.59 million. That’s nearly one vehicle for every resident.
With limited transport options, vehicle ownership continues to surge, further fuelled by the state government’s 2019 decision to slash road tax by 50 per cent for six months to boost sales.
In 2019-20, 62,238 new private non-commercial vehicles were registered. This dropped during the COVID-19 pandemic to 44,305 and 46,444 in the next two years, but rose again to 64,311 in 2022-23 and 70,716 in 2023-24. Between March and December 2024, another 55,144 vehicles were added.
Commercial vehicle category has also grown rapidly. “Transport - Motorcycle for Hire” registrations increased 44.85 per cent between 2019-20 and 2023-24, while taxi registrations rose nearly 70 per cent, the survey states.
The CMP 2020 found that two-wheelers made up 59 per cent of trips, followed by four-wheelers at 22.65 per cent. Buses accounted for only 11.4 per cent and three-wheelers just 6.86 per cent.
Meanwhile, road accidents have surged. Between 2022 and 2023, state police data shows a 46.65 per cent rise in accidents, with fatal incidents up 7.51 per cent. In 2023, 290 fatal accidents were reported.
Sudesh Narvekar, deputy superintendent of police (traffic), told Down to Earth (DTE) that nearly half of these involved single-vehicle crashes. “This could be due to speeding or reckless driving, which is preventable,” he said.
Kunal Arolkar, road safety chair at advocacy group Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) -Young Indians Goa chapter, said the growing number of private vehicles is edging Goa closer to metropolitan-level congestion. CII takes up road safety training and awareness activities concerning road users across the state.
“Though the rise in private vehicles is not yet causing heavy congestion on the roads, it is certainly heading in that direction,” stated Arolkar. “Travel times are rising through key corridors like Porvorim and Mapusa. Infrastructure development isn’t keeping up with traffic growth.”
Though bridges like the Zuari flyover and Atal Setu have eased congestion in some places, Arolkar says public transport has not received adequate policy support.
Narvekar adds that 19 traffic “black spots” have been identified across the state, with work completed on nine locations including Candolim, Calangute and the Canacona highway. Pedestrian infrastructure is also being added to new road projects. In 2022 and 2023, 51 and 44 pedestrian deaths were reported, respectively.
The CMP noted that non-motorised transport users like pedestrians and cyclists are vulnerable road users and recommended improving their safety and developing basic infrastructure. It flagged that 73 per cent of city road segments lack footpaths. “Most of the roadway segments are undivided. This has led to many accidents due to speeding and overtaking,” the report said.
It also found that 90 per cent of roads lack basic public transport infrastructure. Most bus shelters are in poor condition and require urgent repair.
At present, the state’s 18 ambient air quality monitoring stations show particulate pollutants PM10 and PM2.5 levels remain largely within permissible limits, though occasional breaches are recorded in industrial areas.
The state has taken steps to expand bus services. According to the Goa Economic Survey 2024-25, the number of government and private buses rose 62.73 per cent in 2023-24 compared with 2019-20.
Roque Lewis, divisional traffic officer at KTC, told DTE the state-run fleet now has 509 buses, including 48 electric vehicles while the remaining are powered by diesel. Another 93 buses are leased, providing connectivity within Goa and to neighbouring states such as Maharashtra and Karnataka.
In addition, about 950 privately operated buses help connect remote areas. “Recently, the Directorate of Transport approved a move to bring uniformity in the operations of KTC and private buses by introducing electronic ticketing cards to offer ease of travel,” Lewis said.
He added that the department aims to reduce dependence on two-wheelers and encourage public transport use. “A mobile app offering real-time bus information is being developed,” Lewis stated.
There are also plans to commission 57 more electric buses and introduce 300 new routes, 10 of which are already operational. However, there are no plans to increase late-night services beyond 8 pm, because of low ridership.
Transport Director P Pravimal Abhishek said the goal is to improve bus density. “At present, KTC provides 36-37 buses per 100,000 people. Our aim is to reach 40, though ideally we’d want 60,” he said.
Tenders for new electric buses are underway and major bus terminals in Vasco, Mapusa, Margao and Panaji are being upgraded. Abhishek confirmed that a new mobile application will allow users to track buses in real time.
Changing passenger behaviour is crucial in Goa, with last-mile connectivity and point-to-point mobility being key, highlighted the CMP 2020.
The department is also exploring the introduction of cab aggregators. “There’s pushback from local taxi unions. But we’ve proposed a fair fare policy that safeguards driver earnings while asking aggregators to compete on commission,” he adds.
The CMP estimates that local emissions from two- and four-wheelers stood at 27.2 tonnes per day in 2018. Under a sustainable transport scenario, this could fall to 13.8 tonnes per day by 2038.
This article is part of our series on how India moves, which looks at the relationship between air quality and human mobility in cities and towns.