Flipkart expands travel portfolio, launches bus bookings on its app

Flipkart ha launched bus booking on its app.

Flipkart, an e-commerce firm, announced the launch of bus services on its app on April 8.

The company has partnered with multiple state transport corporations and private aggregators. It will offer customers 10 lakh bus connections with connectivity to over 25,000 routes across India. This is in addition to the flight and hotel booking services that have been available under the Flipkart Travel banner.

“With Flipkart’s strong presence in tier-2 and tier-3 markets, this move has enabled us to provide customers with a convenient and reliable solution for their inter-city travel needs,” said Ajay Veer Yadav, Senior Vice President, Flipkart.

The platform is offering zero convenience fee for bus bookings, offers through supercoins redemption up to Rs 50 and a 24/7 voice helpline.

Flipkart Flights and Hotels have steadily been growing since the launch in 2019, the Walmart-backed company said.

The company faces one of the biggest competition from redBus which has a customer base of around 20 million users.

With increase in travel demand, bus travel has also seen growth in India.

The bus industry estimates a 200 percent growth in bus seat bookings due to development of more expressways in India, according to a recent report on bus travel.

The report cited the example of the Nagpur-Mumbai stretch of the Samruddhi Expressway, which cut the travel time by almost three hours and led to a 215 percent growth in seats from 2022 and a 16 percent reduction in the ticket price. The continued pace of infrastructure development would further reduce travel time, increase seat bookings and lower the cost of travel, the report said.