The new water taxi public transport started recently with much fanfare, has obtained less footfall according to the officials from Maharashtra state government. Therefore, to make the project financially viable it will require much support in terms of subsidy said an official who did not wish to be named.
In fact, the Mumbai Port Trust Chairman Rajiv Jalota while speaking to media during a recent press conference stated that all public transport be in India or abroad need support from the government. "Even in foreign countries, you see government offering subsidy. It helps the public transport to withstand." He stated that the newly started water taxi will gradually receive commuters. However, till then some support may be needed. When asked is he mean to say that the Water taxi project will need a government subsidy. He replied, "I cannot comment."
Recently, the Mumbai water taxi services, connecting Mumbai and Navi Mumbai, was inaugurated by Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and Union Shipping Minister Sarbananda Sonowal. The Mumbai Port Trust, Maharashtra Maritime Board (MMB) and CIDCO worked together to develop this project. The Belapur Jetty project was started in January 2019 and was completed by September 2021 at a cost of Rs 8.37 crore. The inland water service will significantly cut down travel time from 1.5 hours to 45 minutes. The fares of the water taxi speedboat service range between Rs 800 and Rs 1,200 for a one-way journey and will take around 30-40 minutes. For a one-way catamaran service, the passengers will have to pay Rs 290. If you regularly commute on this route, a monthly pass for speedboats is available for Rs 12,100. The official asserted, "With the subsidy, the fate price can be made reasonably. Attracting commuters to travel in this new mode of transport."
