Mumbai:water taxi service to start from January

New year will bring water taxi service for Mumbaikers.Though date is yet to be decided but as per information the water taxi service likely to statrt from the first week of January 2022. The water taxi services aim to provide hassle-free connectivity between South Mumbai and Navi Mumbai from the Domestic Cruise Terminal at Ferry Wharf and the terminals at Belapur and Nerul. The state government has allotted routes, such as International Cruise Terminal to Elephanta, Domestic Cruise Terminal (DCT) to Rewas, Karanjade, Dharamtar, DCT to Belapur, Nerul, Vashi, Airoli, Khanderi Islands and JNPT, to various operators. The operators say that DCT to JNPT, and later Navi Mumbai, will be the most sought-after route. At present, there are no infrastructure facilities at Vashi and Airoli.

It is said that DCT to JNPT likely be one of the most sought-after routes, given the high influx of commuters from Navi Mumbai to the South, which is a major commercial district in the city. The water taxis should help ease the load on the local train services, particularly the Harbour line. At present, there are no other transportation options between Mumbai and Navi Mumbai apart from the road and rail.The water taxis will take about 30 minutes to complete a single journey, which will significantly lower the commute time between the roughly 30 km stretch. Water taxi services will be operational throughout the year barring during heavy rains. Moreover, the plan is to increase have a higher frequency between mornings and evenings.