Kerala to launch water taxis | Fusion - WeRIndia

Kerala is going to launch the state’s first water tax soon to provide trouble-free travel facilities for humans dwelling in different islands in and around Alappuzha.

The State Water Transport Department (SWTD) is all set to introduce water taxis in the backwaters of Alappuzha by October 15.  It is the first time in the country to launch such a service.

These water taxis are similar to normal taxis and can be used by the general public. The government will provide a mobile number to book the water taxis. Passengers can know the fares displayed on an hourly basis.

The water taxis are diesel-powered to be operated at a maximum speed of 15 nautical miles to reduce travel time. They can ferry 10 passengers.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will launch the water taxi service on October 15.

The SWTD plans to start the taxi service with four boats and plans to deploy another two by the end of this year. Also, the service will be extended to Kuttanad later. Each water taxi will have three employees to operate.

These water services will be beneficial to people living in water-logged areas. They will help people reach other destinations faster without any trouble.

The four water taxis are constructed at a yard in Aroor in Alappuzha. They are specially designed for this purpose and the engine was imported from Sweden.

They are built with fibre to save fuel consumption. The cost of each water taxi around ₹50 lakhs.

Navgathi, a Kochi-based firm designed these water taxis. The company claims that water taxis will only burn 30 litres per hour even at high speed.

Since water transport is cost-effective and eco-friendly, the government wants to utilize this service to the maximum extent.

Based on the success of the pilot project, the government wants to extend such service throughout the state phase-wise.

Photo by AdamHillTravel (pixabay.com) on Needpix (Free for commercial use / CC0 Public Domain)

Image Reference: https://www.needpix.com/photo/1797401/alleppey-alappuzha-kerala-india-asia-river-water-backwaters-palm-tree