N. Raghuraman's column: Lack of honesty and humility will give chances to hidden competitors!

Whenever I went on a holiday from Mumbai to Goa, I wanted to choose the road route because the Konkan route represents the best of nature. But the condition of the roads scared me. It used to take more than 14 hours to cover the 594 km distance, because the road used to be in the middle of the potholes. Then came the Konkan Railway, which showcased the beauty of that area in a far better way, as the car driver could no longer focus on the road but on the beauty of nature. Then came the bogies with large windows and domes, in which the bulk of the compartment used to be transparent and offer a 180-degree view. But what scared most of the tourists who came to Goa was the local transport lobby that robbed tourists. Tourists have to pay Rs 1,000 to travel even 10 km anywhere in Goa. A one-day taxi cost as much as a one-way airline ticket. This year's 14-hour road journey will be reduced to 6 hours by the rains, as the 466-km long Goa highway starting from Panvel near Mumbai to Patradevi near Goa will be completed. Panvel is well connected to Mumbai and Pune and has excellent roads on both sides. The Panvel-Goa project – which started in 2012 at a cost of Rs 3,500 crore – is now delayed to Rs 7,300 crore. But its completion is certainly going to create a hidden competition for the local cab business, which employs a large number of people in its local transport. Just like Ola and Uber entered many cities in our country and disrupted the established business of taxi drivers- who used to dupe locals and visitors – in a big way, the creation of this good infrastructure will also create many competitors in front of the existing Goa cab drivers. You might be wondering who? Not one, but several! Not one particular company, but many individuals and families who will come to their state in their private car. Remember that tourism is the biggest contributor to Goa's government exchequer. Mumbai and Pune are the most visited tourists. The main reason for this is their proximity to Goa and the good income of the residents of these cities. They always prefer to spend a short holiday in Goa whenever the weekend shifts from a national holiday falling on a Friday or Monday. They will continue to come even after the construction of the road is completed, but will prefer to use their vehicles to save the cost of transport. This will definitely hit the local cab business. Today, auto drivers in cities like Bengaluru are trying to be extra polite to passengers. They not only charge fare according to the meter, but also give passengers additional services such as magazines and newspapers. Some help them learn the local language. It's a welcome change, but it's belated. They have already created an image in the minds of consumers. Same is the case with kirana stores, which do not show goodwill towards local consumers. This forces consumers to rush to malls in nearby places, where they are offered good discounts with polite behaviour. The funda is that if a service does not offer a fair price and does not behave courteously towards its customer, it will open the doors for competitors, who will eventually make a dent in their market-share.