Shillong, Aug 12: A pilot workshop to outline the rollout plan for the upcoming Meghalaya Tourism Tourist Taxi Booking App was conducted by the Department of Tourism today at the State Convention Centre
Tourism Commissioner & Secretary Rosetta Mary Kurbah said the app aims to enhance the visitor experience and protect tourists from fraudulent payment practices, not to compete with the existing taxi ecosystem. She added that the platform will integrate coordination with police and traffic departments, and will be GPS-enabled and OTP-based with strict monitoring safeguards for both tourists and drivers, including PRIME Meghalaya Beneficiaries’ vehicles.
The app will be backed by the Meghalaya Tourism Helpline, operated jointly by the department and the Avenues team.
Deputy Director Philip F. Tariang said the initiative is the outcome of extensive consultations since late 2024 with taxi associations and PRIME vehicle beneficiaries. The broader vision is to combine taxi booking with curated information on tourist spots. The full official launch will take place at a later stage.
The workshop included hands-on training for tourist taxi drivers and a demonstration of the app by XLayer Technologies.
Officials confirmed that Phase-I will cover an initial cohort of 200 PRIME vehicle beneficiaries and other tourist taxi operators for long-distance tourist transport. Registration will be open to operators with valid permits, licences, insurance and clearances. Eligibility will be assessed individually with driver and vehicle verification done jointly by the Transport Department and Meghalaya Police.
The platform will have an administrative portal, a driver app and a customer booking interface, with direct payments between customer and driver and no commission charged by the department in the initial phase.
The department also plans to integrate the platform with the tourism helpline for support and grievance redressal, and is examining extending it to tourist-oriented two-wheelers in future phases.
Also present were SP Traffic Dr. Hari Prasanth M.R and TOAM President E. Banlumlang Blah.
