Kerala to get 10 seater 'water taxis' starting October
Thiruvananthapuram, Sep 15: Kerala is all set to experiment with a 10-seater water taxis, the first of which will be launched on October in the backwaters of Alappuzha district, which is a key region on the state's tourist map.
The state water transport department (SWTD) had placed orders for four boats that can be operated as taxis for public use after conducting studies last year.
"Just like taxis on roads, these boats will be available for the public. They can call on a specific phone number and the boat will pick them up and drop them at their destination. The tariff will be on a per-hour basis and will be reasonable," said director, SWTD.
"It's a Catamaran diesel-powered boat with comfortable seating capacity for 10 people. It will have a speed of 15 nautical miles per hour and can therefore take commuters quickly to their destinations," he added.
Unlike the regular fleet of the SWTD which operate on fixed routes, the 'water taxis' will simply be connected to a boat station and can be hailed anywhere.
The boats have been built by Navgathi, a Kochi-based firm that gave India its first solar ferry Aditya which was the world's best electric boat as part of the Gustave Trouve awards this year.
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Sandith Thandasherry, founder-CEO of Navgathi said the Catamarans are more efficient than the usual boats from a fuel perspective.
The
boats
are
built
in
fibre
with
an
efficient
design
in
an
attempt
to
reduce
fuel
consumption.
At
high
speed,
the
boats
will
only
burn
30
litres
per
hour,
Thandasherry
said.
They
also
come
with
an
advanced
electric
power
steering
system
as
well
as
a
solar
panel
powered
auxiliary
unit
(CIPS),
both
developed
in-house
by
the
company's
research
wing.