look news india
Mumbai: While people are currently relying on local trains, metro trains, monorail and excellent bus services in Mumbai, now the Maharashtra government has also proposed to start cable taxis in the entire MMR apart from Mumbai. Claiming that such cable taxis have been successful in many cities in Europe, it is being argued that such a project can be launched in Mumbai also to reduce road congestion and reduce local congestion.
Maharashtra Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik said the cable tax could be conducive to reducing road congestion in Mumbai. The roads of Mumbai no longer have the capacity to park more vehicles. Cable taxi will not occupy space on the road and hence this option should be tried.
After taking charge as Transport Minister, he said that cable taxis are running in many cities of Europe and people are using them in large numbers. Mumbai has now reached its limit to accommodate more vehicles. However, we are also trying to increase water transportation in the MMR itself. But, still, other modern transportation options need to be explored and cable taxis could prove to be an ideal option.
He said that apart from Mumbai, the introduction of cable taxis with a seating capacity of 15 to 20 people in the entire metropolitan area will help in reducing the traffic on the roads. He said that if we can run underground metro then we can also run cable taxi. A ropeway will have to be built for the cable taxi but apart from this it will not take up much space on the roads.
He also said that these cable taxi services should be managed by the Transport Department of the Government of Maharashtra. It is noteworthy that currently local trains in Mumbai are operated by Indian Railways, while BEST services are operated by Mumbai Municipal Corporation. Metro services are managed by the Metro Corporation.
How is the cable taxi?
Cable taxis, also known as pod taxis, are small, driverless cars. It has enough space to seat six, eight or ten people. It is operated by erecting poles on the road or by tying ropes on it. It can operate only on these specific limited routes. Cable taxis can be powered by solar power or electricity. It does not occupy space on the roads. It can move smoothly from one point to another.
Bengaluru project dropped
The idea of cable taxi is not new in India. Actually, in 2017, Bengaluru Municipal Corporation had decided to run cable taxi in Bengaluru. The project was conceived because Bengaluru is notorious for its anti-speed traffic. However, after the feasibility report, the Government of Karnataka rejected the project saying that the system would prove too expensive and its effectiveness in reducing traffic would not be considered high.
Many questions against pod taxi project in BKC
A project to operate pod taxis between Kurla and Bandra local stations in BKC has been initiated by MMRDA. The responsibility of implementing this project has been entrusted to a private company. However, questions are being raised on this project. There is a proposal to impose a charge of Rs 21 per km in this project worth about Rs 1000 crore. There is also a proposal to increase it by 15 percent every year. Transport experts believe that this is an excessive fee for any public transport system in a city like Mumbai. Now Metro 3 has also failed due to expensive ticket fares. One has to cover a distance of at least 3 km from anywhere in BKC to Kurla or Bandra station, so one cannot spend Rs 60 to Rs 65 for a single journey and Rs 130 for a day trip. Apart from this, it will also be difficult to find space to build a terminal for these pod taxis in the congested and narrow area of Kurla and Bandra stations. It will also be difficult to organize a network of pod taxis between this area, Bullet station, Metro 3, Metro 2B lines.