Tourist boat operators along Marine Drive are feeling the heat as many of their potential customers are opting for Kochi Water Metro ferries that began operating in the High Court-Vypeen corridor from Wednesday, for as low as ₹20 per person.
Vindicating this is the sight of serpentine queues at the Water Metro’s High Court terminal from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. as the newly launched air-conditioned electric-hybrid ferries operate trips every 15 minutes. “The rush for tickets to board the ferries was so much so that my family and I who arrived at the terminal at 3 p.m. on Sunday managed to get on board a ferry only at 6.20 p.m.,” said Jayesh Mathew, who runs a crew-training centre for international airlines.
Marine Drive Tourist Boats’ Association secretary Saju T.B. said the launch of Water Metro ferries had made a dent in the revenue of almost all boat operators, who had been witnessing an increase in footfall over the past couple of months due to the intense summer heat. “Many of our potential customers are now flocking to board the Water Metro ferries, mostly out of curiosity. Those who are keen to travel on the upper deck still prefer our vessels.”
