Beginning on September 1st, the ferry service that connects Mumbai to Revas in Maharashtra’s Raigad district will resume after being temporarily suspended on account of monsoon conditions since June.
“Three services will run between Bhaucha Dhakka (the ferry port) in south Mumbai and Revas beginning at 6 a.m. on September 1st,” according to the Mumbai Jal Vahatuk Audyogik Sanstha Maryadit, an association of boat operators.
The cost of the one-way journey between Bhaucha Dhakka and Revas is Rs 100 per passenger, and the cost of transporting a two-wheeler is Rs 200.
According to a ferry operator’s body official, “extra trips would be offered on weekends dependent on passenger demand. Moreover, additional services will be provided during the Ganpati event”.
Additionally, if there is a spike in demand during the Ganpati season, additional services will be offered.
“The ferry service connecting Bhaucha Dhakka and Mora will be available year-round,” according to a spokesman of the ferry operators’ group, but the service to Revas is discontinued during the first few months of the monsoon due to unfavourable sea conditions. Rough seas were cited as the reason for the stoppage in June.
The reinstatement of this ferry service between Mumbai and Revas provides commuters and visitors with a handy mode of transit between these two Maharashtra locations.
The decision was made following a meeting in which a committee comprised of representatives from the Mumbai Maritime Board (MMB), headed by MMB CEO Dr. Manik Gursal, and the Bahujan Vikas Aghadi (BVA), represented by Hitendra Thakur and Nallasopara MLA Kshitij Thakur, conducted a survey and finalised the route while taking commute times and water traffic into account.
The water taxi service between Mumbai and Navi Mumbai was terminated on May 25 due to the approaching monsoon.
This construction was made in an effort to increase passengers after the sea route had a lacklustre response due to problems such as a lack of feeder services from DCT. Additionally, it will now be put into practice because the MbPT has granted approval.
According to the minister, “the service, which was introduced as an experiment, will significantly address the needs of those who commute to and from Mumbai for work. The monthly passes will be introduced when more people start utilising the service, he said, and the timings and commuter criteria will be periodically evaluated”.
After the monsoon, travellers will be able to board and disembark from water taxis at the Gateway of India, with the exception of days with bad weather, according to officials from the Maharashtra Maritime Board (MMB), who confirmed this.
The DCT-Belapur route reportedly received no responses and was unable to complete even one vessel. But a private operator said that the Belapur-Elephanta service was well received and completed with 320 trips and 3,299 passengers.
For those who are unaware, the water taxi service was introduced on February 17 by the Chief Minister, Uddhav Thackeray, and the Union Shipping Minister, Sarbananda Sonowal. The purpose of the services was to reduce travel time between Mumbai and Navi Mumbai.
The Bahujan Vikas Aghadi (BVA), which is run by Hitendra Thakur, asserted earlier this month that two roll-on, roll-off, or “ro-ro” ferry services will soon be operating as a way to improve the Vasai taluka’s infrastructure. The two routes are going to run from Narangi to Saphale and from Vasai Fort to Bhayandar Jetty.
“The goal of the entire operation is to reduce people’s problems and direct traffic in a way that is both efficient and time-saving. The ro-ro service will soon be a crucial component of Maharashtra’s transportation infrastructure,” according to BVA president and Vasai MLA Hitendra Thakur.