App based cab and ride sharing company Uber has decided to launch the UberBoat in India. The company had previously launched similar boat services in many countries including France and Croatia among others. Uber has chosen Mumbai as their first city to launch the unique boat service and the rides will be starting from the Gateway of India.
The booking procedure will be app based and done in a similar manner as for regular cabs. This will mark the start of Uber’s boat service in India and how well it performs in Mumbai will decide whether the company will expand it to new cities or not.
The UberBoat will start from the 1st of February. There are two main routes that are on focus. currently. The first route is the Gateway of India to Mandwa Jetty route while the other one is the Gateway of India to Elephanta. The pricing for the boat service will be between Rs 5,700 and 9,500 per boat.
To be more precise, the service will cost Rs 5,700 for UberBOAT and Rs 9,500 for UberBOAT XL across all routes. The UberBOAT is designed to carry 6-8 passengers while the UberBOAT XL can carry 10 plus passengers.
The rides can be booked around 15 minutes before travel time. Also, the company has not confirmed if the rides could attract dynamic or ‘surge’ pricing at a later date. However, if the demand of the UberBoat continues to be on surge, it is expected that the company will bring in the surge pricing rule too. Also, there are plans to expend the operation network to other locations in Mumbai if this location yields good result. Navi Mumbai seems to be the next planned stop for this boat service but nothing is confirmed as of now.
This service will be launched by the Mumbai Port Trust chairman Sanjay Bhatia on Wednesday, 1st February. Reports suggest that the demand for water transport service is high in Navi Mumbai areas especially from Nerul, Belapur to south Mumbai. The boat service would also be helpful in establishing a link between two cities and help commuters from far suburbs reach south Mumbai for daily work. Future plans on the state of water transport in Mumbai are to beautify the routes and to encourage the water tourism industry.
Coming to the issue of safety on the UberBoat, all boats will be equipped with necessary equipment including lifejackets, emergency contact details and printed collaterals along with a manual that highlights safety instructions. While boat services have been launched in many other places by independent players, this is the first case of a planned and well developed boat service. Now whether or not it will be a hit is something that should be left unanswered for now. What we can do instead is to wait and see how the public reacts to this unique boat hailing service by Uber.
Also Read: Forget cab & auto, Uber now giving boat rides in Mumbai