The Maharashtra government has launched an online ticketing system for ferry services in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) to make water transport services more modern, transparent, and passenger-friendly.
The Versova-Madh traditional ticketing system will be converted to a modern digital system, Fisheries and Ports Minister Nitesh Rane said.
The decision was taken during a high-level review meeting held at Mantralaya to discuss digital transformation of passenger water transport services across the region. Senior officials of the Maharashtra Maritime Board, including CEO P. Pradeep, were present at the meeting.
On Wednesday, May 20, Rane directed the officials to operationalise an online ticketing platform for water transport services, marking a major shift from the traditional manual ticketing model that has been in place for decades.
The state government plans to introduce QR-code based entry systems, smart automatic gates, handheld ticketing devices and multi-modal digital payment options as part of the overhaul.
Under this project, which is being implemented in collaboration with the Maharashtra Maritime Board and private partners, there are plans to launch monthly, quarterly, and annual digital passes.
The target is to have at least 50% of transactions online in the next three months. As many as 22,000 daily ticket transactions take place on this route.
Given the increasing number of passengers in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, it is essential to effectively utilise digital systems in water transport. An online ticketing system will be crucial to ensure passengers don't have to wait in line to purchase tickets, the ticketing process is faster, and the entire system is transparent. Expediting the launch of water transport services during the pre-monsoon period was discussed in detail. Early resumption of services on the Gateway of India, Belapur, Elephanta, and DCD Terminal routes was discussed.
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