The Mumbai-Mandwa Ro-Ro ferry operator 'M2M ferries' has decided that post Covid, it will also provide bus services from nearby Railway Stations up to Mumbai's Ferry Wharf and in Mandwa from the nearby Alibaug Bus Depot. Devika Saigal, co-owner of Ro-pax ship operating agency, told the Free Press Journal: "We had plans to provide last mile connectivity by operating buses from Dockyard and CSMT Railway stations and similarly from Mandwa and Alibaug Bus Depot but due to Covid, the plan has been kept on the hold for a while. Once everything is back to normal, we will start the buses so that the commuters find it easy to reach the terminal."
The much-awaited Mumbai's water transport Ro-Ro ferry started its commercial operations from August 20. Interestingly, the service has been receiving a good response and booking for Friday trips are already full.
On the first day of its commercial operations, around 100 passengers commuted from Mumbai-Mandwa-Mumbai Ro-Ro ferry besides 150 vehicles that are being allowed per trip, about 30% of vehicles were on board. Meanwhile, the operators are asking people to do pre-booking to avoid any last minute rush, however if the ship has space (500 passengers restriction limit), the commuters are also allowed to travel by getting a ticket from the counter, informed Saigal.
The travel time from Mumbai to Mandwa is approximately one hour and during Ganeshotsav, as mainly people from Mumbai travel to Raigad district, the service is believed to provide a major relief as people can travel with their vehicles through waterways.
