Cleartrip Launches Bus 2.0 With Access to Over 6.5 Lakh Routes
Cleartrip, an online travel platform owned by Flipkart, introduced Bus 2.0, broadening its road travel services to encompass over 6.5 lakh routes throughout more than 6,000 cities in India, including locations not accessible by air or rail transportation.
The enhanced product provides users access to almost 95 percent of India’s private bus inventory, in addition to services from state transport corporations, a variety that the company claims was once only offered at physical bus stations.
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Travelers can now reserve buses in addition to flights, trains, hotels, and vacation packages all on one platform.
The launch is partially motivated by a significant demographic change in the demand for bus travel. Over 55 percent of bus reservations on Cleartrip are presently made by users, including students, solo travelers, and young professionals, who utilize this option for weekend getaways, visiting home, and impulsive journeys, especially when train seats aren't available.
Gaurav Patwari, Chief Business Officer, Air, Cleartrip, stated that buses link more regions of India than any other transportation method and that for numerous young travelers, reserving a bus is frequently their initial encounter with travel planning. He stated that Bus 2.0 aims to provide flexibility, extensive coverage, and guarantee of route availability for this segment.
Bus 2.0 builds on Cleartrip’s previous growth into train ticketing and international hotel offerings, aligning with the company’s declared objective of creating a complete multi-modal travel platform.
Established in 2006 and predominantly acquired by Flipkart in April 2021, Cleartrip has recently been recognized as India’s second-largest online travel agency by market research firm VIDEC.
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The company has established multi-modal integration, including flights, hotels, trains, buses, and holidays on a single app as its main competitive advantage in a saturated online travel industry.
Earlier, Cleartrip, part of Flipkart, has launched Cleartrip Creators Club, an organized affiliate program that incorporates creator content directly into the booking experience. The Cleartrip Creators Club departs from the conventional pay-per-content approach and utilizes a commission structure based on performance.
Lacking a minimum follower requirement, and with eligibility based on engagement instead of audience size, the program welcomes creators from every level and category. Through the program, when a user replies ‘TRIP’ on a creator's post, they instantly get a pre-filled booking link along with a special Cleartrip discount code in their direct messages.
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The company reports that preliminary findings from the pilot program show that regional creators have contributed to 50 percent of all content produced. There has been considerable involvement from creators in southern states, with Telugu-language content becoming a vibrant and rapidly expanding sector.