BEST and a city-based enterprise Creative Concepts will soon be launching Duck Buses that are being specially imported to the city.
BEST to bring new amphibious bus to propel tourism in city
How about taking a ride on a bus that can also turn into a boat?
BEST and a city-based enterprise Creative Concepts will soon be launching Duck Buses that are being specially imported to the city.
The Duck Bus will ride daily in the South Mumbai area for 40 minutes and in the sea near Gateway of India for 20 minutes.
The idea of bringing the Duck Bus to the city came about when the BEST chairman Dilip Patel saw them on his trip to Toronto.
"I saw that the Duck Buses were a huge tourist attraction in Toronto. I thought we could bring them to Mumbai as there is nothing similar here,"" said Patel. The Duck Bus rides are expected to begin within the nest three months.
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The bus will start from Gateway of India and follow a route around South Mumbai for 40 minutes before returning back to the Gateway jetty to enter into the water.
The ride in the water will last 20 minutes and it will cover the distance from Gateway to Radio Club. "The ride is a big thrill for people. It's just like the James Bond movies," said Rajesh Gangar, proprietor of Creative Concepts.
The Duck Bus project is being supported by BEST under the First Finder scheme. "We will not be investing a single paisa in the project but expect to generate a revenue of about Rs 80,000 per month," said Patel.
The ticket cost for a ride on the 49-seater boat-buses will be between Rs 100-150. Initially, the plan is to bring two buses, each costing Rs 2 crore, to the city.
""Depending on demand from the city we will increase the number of buses. If the city says 'Dil Maange More' then we'll add to the fleet," said Gangar.
What are Duck Buses?
The amphibious buses, originally known as DUKWS, were made for military use and were first used during the second World War for transporting goods and troops over land and water and for use approaching and crossing beaches in amphibious attacks.
It is said that these buses were used extensively at Pearl Harbour.
The busses were eventually phased out of the military and then became a major tourist attraction. Duck Bus tours are popular in many countries across the world.u00a0
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