Mumbai: Gateway of India – Belapur water taxi services to start from February 4

Mumbai: Starting from February 4, water taxi services will ply between Gateway of India to Belapur as the Mumbai Port Authority has given its approval to operate the passenger service to Nayantara Shipping Company. 

The organisation has been operating services between Domestic Cruise Terminal – Belapur and Alibaug.

The water taxi, ‘Nayan XI’ has a capacity of seating 140 passengers on the lower deck and another 60 passengers on the upper or business class deck.

“The vessel will sail from Belapur at 8.30 am to the Gateway of India reaching at 9.30 am. The second trip from the Gateway of India shall depart at 6.30 pm and reach Belapur at 7.30 pm,” read a statement issued by the operator.

The tickets, available on its partners' website, will be priced at Rs 250 for the lower deck and Rs 350 for the upper or business class deck.

The operator is of the view that this service will become popular given its comfort and competitive pricing. Moreover, to ensure last-mile connectivity from Belapur Station, a sharing auto rickshaw is also available for Belapur Jetty. Likewise, at the Gateway of India, there are sharing taxis as well as bus services to ferry passengers to different business districts of South Mumbai.

Those who travel to South Mumbai using their private vehicle and radio taxis or by road during the rush hour can opt for the service as it can help them in saving commuting time as well as avoid congestion.

Given that in the past such services did not find many takers among the daily commuters, the initial days of this service’s launch will be key in ascertaining its popularity as well as its future.