Alapuzha Water Taxi

The first water taxi service in India[3] began operations in Alapuzha from 15th October, 2020. The service was inaugurated by Sri. Pinarayi Vijayan, Chief Minister of Kerala in the presence of Sri. A.K. Saseendran, Transport Minister of Kerala, and various other dignitaries. The boat is named Thejus 1 and is the first boat under Nirva Series built by Navgathi.[4][5]

History
India
NameThejus 1 (Nirva Series)
OwnerKerala State Water Transport Department
OperatorKerala State Water Transport Department
Port of registryKodungallur
RouteAlapuzha
BuilderNavgathi Marine, Kochi, India
Cost₹70 Lakhs
Yard numberY-20
Launched25 September 2020
CompletedSeptember 2020
In service15 October 2020
StatusIn service
General characteristics [1]
Class and typeIndian Register of Shipping IRS +IW ZONE 3
Displacement6 tonnes
Length8.5 m
Beam3.81 m
Height3.2 m
Draft0.5 m
Depth1.2 m
DecksSingle
Propulsion1 × 175 hp Diesel OBM
Speed
  • 16 knots (30 km/h; 18 mph) (max)
  • 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph) (cruising)
Capacity10 passengers
Crew2
Notes1 kW Solar panels, ECN 3600 Electric Steering[2] (Navgathi)

Earlier, multiples states had announced plans for water taxis - Goa (2019),[6] Delhi (2019),[7] Mumbai (2019),[8][9] Assam (2018)[10] and West Bengal (2017)[11].However, at the time of inauguration of Alapuzha Water Taxi service in Kerala, none of the above planned service had commenced operations.

Service

The water taxi service is available as on-demand to any person around Vembanad lake in Alapuzha and Kottayam districts.[12]

References
  1. "Technical Data Sheet" (PDF). Navgathi.
  2. "Electric Steering". Navgathi.
  3. "Country's first water taxis to ply in Alappuzha from October". Manorama News. 12 September 2020.
  4. "Kerala launches water taxi service in the backwaters of Alappuzha". ANI News. 18 October 2020.
  5. "Navgathi Marine Design and Constructions". Navgathi.
  6. "Goa to start water taxi services soon". The Hindu. 25 July 2019.
  7. "Delhi to get Water Taxis soon". Zee Biz. 27 June 2019.
  8. "Mumbai To Soon Get Water Taxis". Travel Trends Today. 4 November 2019.
  9. "Uber Launches Water Taxi Service in Mumbai". Iam renew. 31 January 2019.
  10. "Ola inks MOU with government of Assam to pilot app-based river taxi service". Economic Times. 4 February 2018.
  11. "ibg news". Water Taxi service to connect Haldia to Farakka. 17 April 2017.
  12. "ALAPPUZHA WATER TAXI". Rubi and Ejaz. 23 October 2020.
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