Kochi Water Metro vs the Old Ferry: Which One Should You Actually Take?

The Kochi Water Metro charges Rs 20 to Rs 40 a ride on air-conditioned electric boats. The older State Water Transport Department ferry charges only a few rupees on an open, non-AC boat running the same crossing on its own, separate timetable. Both cross the same stretches of backwater. Which one makes sense depends on whether you value comfort or rupees more that day.

• How much does the Kochi Water Metro cost compared to the ferry?
• Which is faster, the Water Metro or the ferry?
• Which routes does each one actually cover?
• So which one should you take?

How much does the Kochi Water Metro cost compared to the ferry?

	Water Metro	SWTD ferry
Fare per ride	Rs 20 to Rs 40	Only a few rupees for a foot passenger, more for a two-wheeler or car aboard the RoRo service
Passes	Weekly Rs 180, monthly Rs 600, quarterly Rs 1,500	No pass system
Discount card	Kochi1 Card, discounted fare	Not applicable
Comfort	Air-conditioned, glass windows, seating for around 50	Open boat, first-come seating, no AC

The Water Metro is not trying to be the budget option, and it shows in the fare. For a daily commuter making the same crossing twice a day, the gap between a Rs 40 Water Metro round trip and a ferry ride that costs a small fraction of that adds up fast over a month, which is exactly why the ferry has not disappeared despite the newer service getting all the attention.

Which is faster, the Water Metro or the ferry?

Both run to a published timetable rather than waiting to fill up, so this is less about unpredictability than about how tight the gaps are. The Water Metro operates from 7am to 8pm with boats roughly every 15 minutes at peak hours, and it is a newer, faster hull than the older SWTD boats. The SWTD ferry runs on its own timetable too, generally every 15 to 30 minutes through a longer daily window, but the boat itself is slower and stops are more frequent on some routes, so a Water Metro trip on the same stretch of water usually still gets you there sooner even though neither service is technically the "wait and see" option people assume the older ferry is. Neither replaces a car if you actually need to move a two-wheeler across, that is still a job for the separate roll-on-roll-off ferries that carry vehicles rather than just people.

Which routes does each one actually cover?

As of August 2026, the Water Metro's own operator lists 15 operating routes across more than 75 route-kilometres, running out of 10 of the 38 terminals eventually planned, including Vypin to High Court, Vyttila to Kakkanad, and High Court to Fort Kochi. The remaining 28 planned terminals are still being built out in phases, so the network's reach will keep expanding for some years yet. The older SWTD ferry network is smaller in ambition but has been running its core routes, Ernakulam to Fort Kochi, Vypin and Mattancherry chief among them, for decades, and it still reaches some crossing points the Water Metro has not built out to yet. Our guide to hopping between Kochi's islands maps out which boat actually gets you where.

So which one should you take?

Take the Water Metro when time matters, you are travelling with kids or luggage, or the heat makes an un-air-conditioned boat unappealing. Take the ferry when you are not in a hurry, the Water Metro does not yet reach your exact crossing, or you would rather pay a few rupees than Rs 20 for a five-minute hop you make daily. Locals tend to default to whichever one is already waiting at the jetty when they arrive, which, once you have used both a few times, is honestly the right instinct. For fare cards and top-up details on the Water Metro side, see our Kochi1 Card guide.