In a bid to make Vyttila-Kakkanad boat service more commuter friendly, the Kerala State Water Transport Department (KSWTD) has decided to revise the timings of the ferry service.
The revised schedule will come into effect from January 1. KSWTD Director Shaji V Nair said that the ferry service will begin operating at 7.30 am from the Vyttila boat jetty instead of the current timing set at 9.15 am.
Taking into account the demand from district Collectorate employees, the last service will operate from Kakkanad at 5.30 pm. Till now, the last service left the Kakkanad jetty at 5.20 pm.
“We have been receiving persistent demands from the Infopark employees as well as the district administration employees seeking a revision of the timings. A cursory study made clear that the employees could not reach their work place on time in the mornings. Hence, we decided to start the service from 7.30 am,” Shaji V Nair added.
The Kerala State Water Transport Department officials also envisage an increase in boat services once the new timings come into effect.
Revenue for boats with a large freight capacity, carrying upto 8 bikes in a single service, have been robust relative to the passenger-only ferry services.
However, owing to the exorbitant rates charged (`25 for one-way travel), many motorcyclists have been reluctant to use ferry services.
In order to attract more passengers, the KSWTD has decided to slash the rate to `12.
“We might not be able to implement the revised rates from January 1, as certain procedures still need to be completed. However, it will be implemented soon,” Shaji V Nair added.
The authorities are yet to set up display boards showing timings of boats at the Vyttila Hub, and the boat jetty at Chittetukara in Kakkanad.
Speaking on the issue, the VMHS Executive Engineer Simon said that they will soon set up the boat timings at the hub.
“ We concede that there is seldom any publicity being given for the boat jetty. We,however, have decided to set up the display boards after the revised schedule comes to effect,” the officials said.