Goa, May 11 -- Goa's ambitious Hop-On Hop-Off (HOHO) bus service was launched with promises of transforming tourism in the state. Marketed as an international-style sightseeing experience, the service featured open-top double-decker buses, multilingual audio guides and fixed tourism circuits connecting popular destinations across North Goa. But less than a decade later, the once-hyped project has virtually disappeared from Goa's roads, with several buses now lying abandoned in Baga.

The HOHO - short for "Hop-On Hop-Off" - service was first introduced by the Goa Tourism Development Corporation (GTDC) in 2017 through Pune-based operator Prasanna Purple. Inspired by sightseeing buses in cities like London and Dubai, the concept allowed tour...