Startups in India - redBus.in - Book Bus Tickets for Privately Run Buses

Name of the Firm: Pilani Soft Labs Pvt Ltd. (Innovation: redBus.in)

Introduction

redBus is one of Pilani Soft Labs ‘Innovations for your convenience’.

redBus helps you book tickets for privately run buses for outward journeys from important cities in south India, including Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Nellore, Vijayawada and Vishakapatnam to cities in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Maharastra, Goa, Pondicherry and Tamil Nadu.

Business Description

redBus revenue model is based on commission from booking tickets and advertisements on the site. The company already has a tie up with nearly 30 private bus operators in south India. Payments are accepted through all major credit and debit cards. The company is optimistic that Indians are increasingly adopting online transactions for bookings etc and the business will improve. redBus has drawn up expansion plans for cities like Agra, Delhi, Jaipur.

Funding

Pilani Soft Labs received $25,000 seed funding from The Indus Entrepreneurs (TIE) and mentoring from 3 TIE members.

About the entrepreneurs

The technical and managerial team of redBus includes BITS Pilani and IIT Mumbai alumni. The three co-founders are Phanindra Sama, Charan Padmaraju and Sudhakar Pasupunuri. The idea was born when Sama could not get bus tickets for a visit home

Competitors

Several firms offer ticket-booking services for buses, movies and events. Some of them are customerneedz.com, easyticket.in and iticket.in.