KOCHI: The increasing rush on the Vyttila-Kakkanad route prompted Kochi Water Metro officials to increase the number of services from six to 14 trips a day from Thursday.
According to Water Metro officials, two boats will operate service on the Vyttila-Kakkanad route at an interval of 45 minutes during the peak hours from 7.45 am to 1 pm from Vyttila terminal and 8.25 am to 1.40 pm from Kakkanad terminal.
Later in the afternoon, the service will commence from 3.15 pm to 7 pm from Vyttila and from 3.55 pm to 7.40 pm from Kakkanad.
After the official launch on April 26 on the High Court-Vypeen route, and the Vyttila-Kakkanad route on April 27, tourists have been flocking to the embarkation points to experience the ferry ride.
“Since, day one, most of the passengers have been tourists on both the routes. Therefore, it will take a few months to obtain the exact ridership on each route,” said an official with KWML.
In the initial days of its launch on the Vyttila-Kakkanad route, only one ferry was operating, which resulted in a huge rush. “With two boats operating on the route, we hope that the crowd would be manageable. The exact number of ridership can be anticipated after one or two months of its service,” the official added.