ETW STAFF – New Delhi
MakeMyTrip has announced the launch of India’s first SMS-based bus-ticket booking service. The first-of-its-kind service enables feature/entry-level phone users to harness the power of ‘mobile’ by booking bus-tickets through an SMS. The platform has been developed by txtWeb, an open platform for SMS applications, launched in India in 2011. The website offers bus tickets for 1300+ operators over 12,000 + routes across India, including the inventory for Punbus/Punjab Roadways, Gujarat, Goa and Bihar Road Transport Corporation and Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation.
Elaborating on this initiative, Amit Somani, chief products officer, MakeMyTrip said, “India is the largest market for mobile phones, with the growth in handsets-sales and new mobile connections far out-pacing sales of desktops, notebooks and new Internet connections. Mobile is the perfect channel for a travel company to provide real value and service to the customer. MakeMyTrip is committed towards making the travel-buying experience seamless and convenient for the customer. We were the first Indian OTA to develop mobile travel app for the iOS which we followed with an Android app. To ensure that the non-smartphone users can also avail and experience the benefits of the mobile platform, we have developed this SMS-based service for bus-ticket reservation.”
He added, “We targeted bus-ticket reservation for this platform since the ticket-value is lower for most first-time users to confidently experiment with the channel. Once they experience the convenience first-hand, we are confident they will continue to transact via mobile. We strongly believe that the future of e-commerce and travel buying experience is on the ‘mobile’ and we will continue to build products with a mobile-first approach.”
