India's First Water Taxi in Mumbai: Which Routes Will It Operate?

India’s first-ever water taxi connecting Mumbai's east coast with Navi Mumbai and other locations was inaugurated on Thursday, 17 February. The services are to begin from the Domestic Cruise Terminal (DCT), which will be connecting the twin cities, Mumbai and Navi Mumbai, for the first time.

What is this water taxi? In which routes will it operate? How much will it cost? Here is all you need to know.

What is water taxi?

A water taxi is a small motorboat that transports paying passengers across waterbodies. It is different from a ferry/boat, which transports people between two locations.

How is operation of water taxi beneficial?

The water taxi will:

• Reduce the commute time between Mumbai and Navi Mumbai from 90-100 minutes to 40-45 minutes.

• Boost tourism as it has connectivity to places like Kanhoji Angre, Elephant Island, Elephanta Caves etc.

• Allow luggage up to 10 kg for each passenger (more than that will be charged Rs 1,000/kg).

In what routes will it operate?

Currently three routes have been finalised. They are:

• Navi Mumbai's Belapur and South Mumbai's Domestic Cruise Terminal (DCT)

• Belapur and Elephanta

• Belapur and Jawaharlal Nehru Port (JNPT)

How much will it cost?

The following are the pricing per passenger:

• One-way speedboat service (30-40 minutes): Rs 800 to Rs 1,200

• One-way catamaran service: Rs 290

• Monthly speedboat pass: Rs 12,100

What are the fares for specific routes?

Here are the specific routes and their respective fares per passenger (with estimated commute time):

• DCT to Dharamtar: Rs 2,000 (55 minutes)

• DCT to Kanoji Angre: Rs 1,500 (55minutes)

• DCT to Belapur (vice versa): Rs 1,210

• DCT to Karanja: Rs 1,200 (45 minutes)

• CBD Belapur to Nerul: Rs 1,100 (30 minutes)

• DCT to JNPT to Elephanta to DCT: Rs 800 (35 minutes)

• JNPT to Belapur: Rs 800 (25 minutes)

• Belapur to JNPT to Elephanta to Belapur: Rs 800 (35 minutes)

• DCT to JNPT: Rs 200 (20 minutes)

What are the capacities of the water taxis?

There are four boats at water taxi operator Infinity Harbour Services:

• 50-seater

• 40-seater

• 32-seater

• 14-seater

And two boats at West Coast Marine:

• 12-seater

• 20-seater

Commuters have been allocated eight boats in total.

• Speed boats can accommodate 10-30 people

• Catamaran can accommodate 65 people

At what timings will the services be available?

The water taxis will run:

• 330 days a year

• From 8:00 am to 8:00 pm

What are the rules for the passengers?

The following are the rules:

• Passengers should arrive 30 minutes prior to departure.

• Boarding gates shall be closed 10 minutes before.

• A valid photo ID must be carried.

• The ticket is valid only for the departure slot booked on the date of travel (non-transferable).

• All passengers should wear life jackets.

How to book a ride?

You can book a ride through Infinity Harbour by following these steps:

• Go to http://myboatride.com/index.aspx

• Select your desired destination

• Select you preferred time slot

• Select seat and enter your details

• Complete payment (credit/debit card, net banking)

(Inputs from Mint, News18, The Indian Express)