Public transportation in India is a problem as intra city public transport is overused, has bad infrastructure and the vehicles are in poor condition.  While the number of transportation options are increasing, the public still prefers using personal vehicles because they prefer the comfort of their vehicle.

Metropolitan cities like Bangalore, Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Pune see a very high influx of population due to the presence of multiple industries like software and information technology and due to the fact these are major manufacturing hubs.  With this influx, public transportation modes like buses and Metro rail are bursting at the seams and unable to meet the demand.  Shuttl is a startup which aims to change the commuting game by offering an on demand commuting service which is similar to what Ola and Uber offer.  However, the difference stops there because Shuttle has buses, mini buses, vans and SUvs in its fleet, from which people can choose.

How Shuttl began

Shuttl was founded by Deepanshu Malviya and Amit Singh in 2015.  While both the founders were working at Jabong, they began thinking about how to solve the problem of transportation as the buses were overcrowded.  Indians using public transport have an unspoken rule—if someone leaves a piece of cloth or a bag on a seat, it means he/she has ‘reserved’ the place.  This concept led to the idea of Shuttl as the founders realised they could merge technology and the concept to come up with an app based product which lets customers reserve a seat on a bus/mini bus.

How Shuttl works

Shuttl assesses the times when the demand for travel is the highest and more often than not, it is when people go and return from their offices.  So, Shuttl offers time slots during which individuals can reserve a seat on a bus. The reservation for the particular time slot remains open until all the seats are booked.  Routes are decided by the number of passengers per vehicle (density) and the number of customers. The demand is so high, seats often get sold out 24 hours in advance. Customers have to pay for the seat or can opt for a monthly subscription.

Focusing on the need for buses

Shuttl revamped its fleet to swanky looking buses which have comfortable seating and are air conditioned.  By being focused on providing a safe and comfortable travel experience, Shuttl was able to build a dedicated and loyal customer base.  Buses are also the most economical and efficient means of transportation for people to get from one point to another. This is because buses are cost efficient, reduce the pollution and traffic footprint.

Shuttl is steadily growing and even attracted venture capital funding from Amazon.  It is constantly looking to improve customer experience by trying to bring in features like facial recognition and live CCTV feed to ensure the safety of their passengers, especially women.  Shuttl is a startup committed to reducing the carbon footprint and decongesting traffic in cities.

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