Online travel platform Via.com has announced real-time online booking for a range of state-run bus services. The company has partnered with state-operated corporation buses to offer service on the company’s website, mobile app and its agents’ outlets. Currently, it has tied up with seven state corporations, including Gujarat, J&K, Odisha, Patiala and East Punjab, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu and Kadamba, Goa.
With this move, Via is expecting an increase of 30 per cent in its overall bus bookings by the next quarter. Currently, Via sells bus tickets worth of INR 10 crore every month. Apart from the state-run buses, Via offers bookings across categories such as Volvo, air-conditioned, non air-conditioned, deluxe, semi-deluxe, sleeper and semi-sleeper buses.
Via will offer competitive prices on bus tickets through over 5,000 bus operators and more than 75,000 routes across India, the company said. To increase its presence in the land transport sector, the company is also looking at tying up with other state-run bus operators, including Himachal Pradesh, Rajashtan, Uttar Pradesh and Maharastra in the near future.
Swaminathan Vedaranyam, CEO, Via, said, “We are seeking to strengthen our portfolio of offerings and ensure that we remain the one-stop shop for travel solutions. With this integration, we aim to open this channel for a section of travellers who are loyal to state-run buses to make life hassle-free and easier for them. The ticket prices for most routes range from INR 650-1500. From April-July, 2015 to April-July, 2016, the growth in terms of sale of bookings from the bus segment has grown thrice on Via.com.”
