The long-awaited water taxi service from Mumbai to Navi Mumbai will be inaugurated on February 17, in the presence of Union shipping minister Sarbananda Sonowal.
The service, which was was first planned three decades ago, will considerably reduce commute time between Mumbai and Navi Mumbai. As per reports, two operators out of four will initially start the services.
The water taxi service is being flagged off from Belapur with a total of 8 boats, 7 speedboats with a capacity of 10 to 30 passengers each and a catamaran boat with a capacity of 56 passengers.
According to reports from ABP Majha, the speed boats will take around 30 minutes to reach Bhaucha Dhakka in South Mumbai from Belapur in Navi Mumbai, while the catamaran service will take 45 to 50 minutes on the same route.
How much is the fare ?
As per the ABP report, speedboat fares have been fixed at Rs 800 to Rs 1,200 per passenger while Catamaran boats may cost Rs 290 per passenger.
Water taxi route
According to reports from The Indian Express, initially, the water taxis will operate on three routes-
Domestic Cruise Terminal at Ferry Wharf, Mazgaon and the terminals at Belapur
Belapur and Elephanta Caves
Belapur and JNPT
An official told IE that the routes will be extended in the future. Other routes include International Cruise Terminal to Elephanta, Domestic Cruise Terminal to Rewas, Karanjade, Dharamtar, Domestic Cruise Terminal to Belapur, Nerul, Vashi and Airoli and DCT to Khanderi islands and JNPT.
Time and frequency
Sohel Kazani of Infinity Harbour Services LLP, who is one of the operators told the Indian Express that the water taxis plans to operate 330 days a year, between 8 am to 8 pm.
According to the operators, the ferry will take around 30-minutes from Domestic Cruise Terminal (DCT) at Ferry Wharf to Navi Mumbai and 15 to 20 minutes from DCT to JNPT.
How to book?
For booking details, one can visit the official website of Infinity Harbour Services - one of the private operators of the service. Click here to visit the website.
You can book the watertaxi service by following these steps -
Step 1: Search and select the Water taxi route from the options provided
Step 2: Once the water taxi is selected, passengers can select the seat of their choice.
Step 3: The payment can be made via a One-Click Payment option, if configured or else through credit or debit cards and even net banking.
