How to reach Madh Island: ferry, road and bus

Madh Island sits on Mumbai's north-west edge, across a creek from Versova. There are two ways in: a short boat ride from Versova, or the road from Malad through Marve. Which one suits you depends on where you are starting and the time of year.

By ferry from Versova

Boats cross the creek between Versova jetty in Andheri West and Madh jetty. The crossing takes about five minutes.¹²⁴

Two-wheelers go on the boat for a small extra charge.¹² Cars don't, so drivers have to go round by road.⁵
There's no official timetable. Boats run through the day and stop late at night.¹³ Websites quote different first and last boats, so we don't print times: ask at the jetty.
Fares are paid at the jetty. Reported fares in 2025 and 2026 range from about ₹5 to ₹15 per person, plus a little more for a bike.¹²⁴⁵ These come from visitors and news reports, not an official price list.
Getting to Versova jetty. One visitor took the Metro to Versova station, then an auto, and walked the last stretch through busy lanes to the jetty.² The jetty has a floating platform that moves underfoot, so hold on to children and bags.²

By road from Malad

From Malad station (West), the road runs along Marve Road through Orlem, Mith Chowky and Malvani to Marve. It passes the INS Hamla naval base, then turns south along the Madh–Marve Road through Aksa, Dharavli, Erangal and Bhati to Madh village and the jetty.⁷

Madh is about 13 to 15 km from Malad station.¹⁶ Autos and app cabs run from the station.¹¹¹

By BEST bus

Two BEST routes reach Madh jetty:⁷⁸¹¹

271, Malad Station (W) to Madh Jetty, via Malvani, Marve, INS Hamla, Aksa, Erangal and Bhati. It stops at Aksa Beach, Erangal Village and Madh Beach–Madh Church on the way.
A-269, Borivali Station (W) to Madh Jetty, via Gorai Depot, Charkop and Malvani. It's an air-conditioned route, and some sites still list it as 269.

There's no stop called Dana Pani.⁷ For Dana Pani beach, the nearest stops are Aksa Beach and Dharavli Village.

From Versova by road

There's no road across the creek yet. Driving from Versova to Madh means going round by Link Road and Mith Chowky:⁵ about 21 to 22 km, which can take around an hour and a half in traffic.⁹¹⁰ This is the way in when the ferry isn't running, and the only way for cars.

The Versova–Madh bridge

A four-lane bridge of about 2 km is planned across the creek, with a cable-stayed section in the middle.⁴¹³ In September 2026 the Bombay High Court allowed BMC to cut 1,237 mangroves to build it, with replanting and ten years of monitoring.¹⁰ BMC's target, set before the court ruling, is March 2029.³¹³ Until then, it's the ferry or the road.

Getting around once you're here

The villages sit along the Madh–Marve Road, which the 271 bus follows from Aksa to Madh jetty.⁷ For anything off the bus route, autos are the usual way to get about. You can find drivers listed on Madh Local.

Read next: Madh Island's beaches, and how to stay safe and Madh Island in the monsoon. For ferry details in one place, see the ferry page.