Uber on Wednesday announced its foray into water transport with UberBOAT, a service where users can book speedboats in the city. The service will start on February 1, with boats plying from Gateway of India to Elephanta Island and Mandwa jetty.
Uber will be launching the service in two price categories, UberBOAT and UberBOAT XL. The six-seater UberBOAT will cost ₹5,700 per trip, while the 10-seater UberBOAT XL will cost ₹9,500. The Maharashtra Maritime Board (MMB) will oversee the initiative and regulate the price. Users will have to book the entire boat depending on their requirement. The speed boats will make the journey in 22 to 26 minutes, which a regular ferry service covers in an hour. At Mandwa jetty, users will need to make their own arrangements to travel to Alibaug and the adjoining regions.
Speaking at the launch of the service, Sanjay Bhatia, chairman of the Mumbai Port Trust, said the success of the project hinges on the safety of passengers. “Boats are not the same as taxis. We have to ensure that the pilot is successful and safe. Only then can other areas open up. We have a huge vision beyond these two routes for such an initiative to be successful,” he said.
Mr. Bhatia said the aim was to make Mumbai Port the country’s sea-transport and sea-tourism hub and that the Domestic Cruise Terminal and the Eastern Waterfront at Ferry Wharf near Dockyard Road, which is under development, will be where most of the water transport services will be shifted. This will include the Roll On-Roll Off service to Mandwa jetty.
Vikram Kumar, MMB chairman, said more routes will be added and plans are under way to connect the airport coming up in Navi Mumbai via waterways to south Mumbai. He said, “The travel time from south Mumbai to the area where the airport is coming up will be around 30 minutes which is over an hour by road at present.”
Prabhjeet Singh, Head of Cities, Uber India and South Asia, said accredited and licensed boat owners had been roped in for the initiative. “As per our best estimates, more that 10 million riders already use the waterways from the Gateway of India. Boat owners will have higher utilisation and a higher earning opportunity,” he said.
