Manish Rathi, CEO &Co-Founder, IntrCity by RailYatri, shares his focus areas for 2020.
Create a new default in the intercity bus travel industry in India
The intercity bus market in India has been quite disorganised for the longest time and lacks standardisation as a category of intercity travel.The primary driver of standardisation in any travel category is the existence of a leader with a full-stack model who ends up creating the primary levers of standardisation. The non-existence of leader brand has created a trust deficit in consumers. IntrCity by RailYatri was created to address this very need. We will move this forward in 2020 to elevate the experience of our intercity bus travellers and set a new default in the Industry.
Technology-led innovation for bus travelers
Technology has redefined almost every aspect of our lives and it is now the right time that intercity bus travel should benefit from the same. IntrCity by RailYatri has introduced the technology in SmartBus fleet to ensure the safety and security of our travelers. All our buses have CCTV and GPS fitted which is backed by 24×7 command centre for surveillance, tracking and monitor the on-road bus performance. We have recently introduced technology that alcohol tests for our drivers before they start the trip. We have also added driver fatigue alert system, which allows us to detect when the driver is distracted oris feeling drowsy and alerts driver, bus captain and command centre immediately. We will keep adding in-bus technology in 2020 to enhance the safety and security ofIntrCitySmartBus travellers.
Use of AI and big data to improve the overall intercity bus travelling experience
We have been successful in using data, predictive algorithms and analytics for making it easy for travelers to make informed choices on mode of travel, ease of booking and enhance overall journey experience. We recently introduced AI-enabled Driver Fatigue alert System that tracks the eye and hand movement of our SmartBusdrivers every second and determines their alertness level. Infact data-driven features is our default way of working and it goes into the minutest details like boarding points, route planning, lounge locations, just to name a few. We will continue using AI and big data in 2020 for enhancing safety, convenience and performance in intercity mobility.
Customer Focus
We are biased towards customer experience, creating a great journey for them and providing hassle-free intercity travel experience. With such a commitment to provide long-term value to customers, IntrCity by RailYatri is investing in building services and facilities for IntrCitySmartBustrvellers.We did not only build physical infrastructure in the form of lounges and appointed boarding staff but we also created industry-first app features like pre-boarding tracking and referral program. We have created a service that has exceptional NPS ratings on every route we operate in. We will consolidate our positioning as a preferred choice for intercity bus travel in 2020 and build IntrCitySmartBus as a customer-first intercity mobility brand.
