Ferry fares in Kerala may go up, government to take call
KOCHI: Taking the state water transport department (SWTD) boats would cost you more if the government approves a study by the National Transportation Planning and Research Centre (NATPAC) recommending to hike the minimum fare of passenger boats from the current `6 to `10. However, the authorities have ruled out any hike in fare of tourist vessels operated by the department, including the popular ‘Indra’ (the country’s largest solar-electric ferry), ‘Vega-2’ and ‘See Kuttanad’.
“NATPAC did a study and submitted a draft report, which proposes increasing the minimum ferry charge to `10. Our internal committee will deliberate on the report this week and forward the same to the state government with our recommendations. The cabinet will then take a final decision on the ticket price increase and how much it should be,” said Shaji V Nair, SWTD director.
At present, a ride in ordinary boats from Ernakulam to Fort Kochi, or Vypeen and from Thavanakkadavu to Vaikom, costs Rs 6 only. Commuters travelling to Varapuzha and Mulavukad (from Ernakulam boat jetty), will have to dole out Rs 19 and Rs 9, respectively.
The department ferries over 1.6 crore commuters per year on wooden/steel/solar-based fiberglass passenger vessels covering a total route length of 1,971.30 km along 116 identified routes. At present, limited water transport facilities are available in Kerala at Kollam, Alappuzha, Kottayam, Ernakulam and Kannur districts. After taking a hit during Covid, the department has taken robust steps, introducing modern boats to woo more passengers.
“We are witnessing increased commuter patronage in recent months. The monthly ridership in Ernakulam region alone has increased to 2.5 lakh commuters,” an SWTD official said.
15 more solar boats to be rolled out soon
SWTD director Shaji V Nair said the department is in the process of switching to hybrid vessels running on green energy, especially solar power.
“We will roll out 15 more solar boats. Besides being eco-friendly, they would cut the operational cost substantially,” Shaji said. While the daily operational cost of a diesel boat comes in the `10,000-`12,000 range, that of a solar ferry is only around `500.
While the SWTD has been incurring losses year after year – its accumulated losses hovering around the `400-crore mark – it has started enjoying increased passenger patronage due to modernisation of fleet. The total number of passengers that took SWTD boats rose from 1.44 crore in 2014-15 to 1.6 crore now.
Energy shift
Daily operational cost of diesel boat: I10,000-I12,000
Daily operational cost of solar ferry: I500
Passengers per annum: I1.6 crore