RedBus
redBus is an Indian online bus ticketing platform, providing ticket booking facility through its website, iOS and Android mobile apps. Headquartered in Bangalore, it connects bus travellers with a network of over 2500 bus operators, across India, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Peru and Colombia. It claims to have registered over 180 million trips, with a customer base of over 20 million. In 2018, the company achieved a GMV of , with a 70% share in the Indian online bus ticketing segment. In 2013, redBus was acquired by Ibibo Group. History. redBus was founded in 2006 by Phanindra Sama, Sudhakar Pasupunuri and  Charan Padmaraju, engineers from the Birla Institute of Technology and Science , who also worked together at various organisations before founding the company. With an initial investment of , the founders began operations in 2006, by tying up with various travel agents for seat reservations through the redBus portal. In the same year the company was selected for the TiE Entrepreneurship Acceleration Program and was mentored on several aspects of the business. The company owns BOGDS, a cloud computing service for bus operators, and SeatSeller, a GDS for bus inventory distribution. Operation. In 2014, the company appointed Prakash Sangam as its Chief  executive officer, who was earlier the Executive Vice President of Info Edge India (Naukri Group), heading Shiksha.com and Jeevansathi.com. In April 2019, redBus appointed cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni, as its brand ambassador. Partnership. In 2012, redBus has tied-up with Goa State Road Transport to launch an online ticketing portal powered by redBus’s BOSS. In the same year, the company has announced a partnership with Rajasthan State Road Transport Corporation (RSRTC), following which it starts offering RSRTC bus tickets on the portal. Early in 2019, redBus partnered with Acko General Insurance to offer travel insurance for its users to  cover accidents, baggage loss, cancellation and bus-type mismatch. It also partnered with Truecaller, a company popular for its caller ID and spam blocking solutions for mobile devices, to offer bus ticket booking on Android devices. redBus announced a partnership with Google Maps to present travellers with information on busses that ply between cities with the exact time and information on where to board the bus. June 2019, redBus started ride sharing operations - rPool, across Bengaluru, Pune and Hyderabad. rPool is an eco-smart option that helps ride givers to share(pool) their vehicle to fellow ride takers. It is a  part of the overall gig economy. On 26 November, 2019, redBus partnered with Amazon India to launch a bus ticket booking service on Amazon. Funding. In 2007, redBus received its first round of funding of $1 million () from SeedFund and undisclosed investors. SeedFund had invested $500,000 in the company while other investors accounted for the remaining $500,000 investment. In 2009, the company raised a funding of a $2.5 million from Inventus Capital Partners, Seed Fund and other unnamed investors. In 2011, redBus raised another funding of $6.5 million from Helion Venture Partners, Seedfund and Inventus  Capital. In 2013, redBus was acquired by Ibibo Group, a subsidiary of South Africa’s Naspers.