Busbud

Busbud
Type of site
 Private
Founded 2011
Headquarters Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Key people LP Maurice, CEO
Industry Software, Travel, Internet
Employees 35+ (2018)
Website busbud.com

Busbud is a worldwide bus and coach travel company that allows travellers to search, compare, and book intercity bus tickets.[1] Busbud operates throughout Europe, South America, North America, Africa and South East Asia.[2] It partners with over 1,300 bus and coach operators to provide a search engine and a booking platform via its website and mobile app. Busbud serves 19,000 cities in 79 countries, in 11 languages, and 30 currencies.[3]

Company

History

Busbud was founded after CEO and co-founder, LP Maurice,[4] spent 2011 backpacking throughout South America. He faced many difficulties finding and booking reliable inter-city buses throughout the continent and began drafting a business plan on a 10-hour bus ride in Argentina. He then came back to Montreal and founded Busbud with longtime friends, Michael Gradek (CTO and Microsoft Bing veteran) and Frederic Thouin (CAO).[5] The company acts as a reseller, but also provides support on the bus tickets that are sold.[6]

Product and features

Busbud caters to local and international travellers by offering intercity bus routes in 79 countries. Bus ticket prices are available on Busbud in 30 currencies, while the website is available in 11 languages. They have rolled out features such as Apple Pay, interconnected bus routes and travel reviews on their platform.

Recent news

Busbud has recently integrated one of the largest bus companies in the world, Autobuses de Oriente (ADO), operating in Mexico. Tourists and travellers are able, for the first time, to buy their ADO tickets in their local currency and language, using their preferred method of payment as Busbud is the first international bus booking platform to offer this on the market.

Funding rounds and advisory board

Backed by venture and angel investors, Busbud has an advisory board made up of Expedia Board Member and Managing Partner of InterMedia Partners, Peter Kern; TripAdvisor VP of SEO, Luc Levesque; CEO of the travel startup Luxury Retreats, Joe Poulin,[7] and Orleans Express founder Sylvain Langis.

In May 2013, Busbud completed a seed round financing of $1.2 million, which was co-led by Canadian funds iNovia Capital and Real Ventures.[8]

In July, 2014, Busbud acquired another round of funding of $9 million, co-led by OMERS Ventures and Revolution Ventures. Busbud's plans include growing its in-house team, expanding its route territory, and developing an improved version of their iOS and Android mobile app.[9]

In January 2018, Busbud announced a US$11 Million Series B round of funding, led by iNovia Capital and included new investors Teralys, Claridge and Plaza Ventures, as well as Real Ventures. The capital will be used to fuel technology development, further grow the team and accelerate geographic expansion.[10]

References

  1. ↑ "Revolution co-leads investment in Busbud, an online portal to purchase bus tickets". Washington Post.
  2. ↑ "Busbud Opens Platform to Asia with Launch of Routes Connecting 600 Cities". Techvibes. Retrieved 2018-02-09.
  3. ↑ "Bus travel platform Busbud races ahead with $11M investment | PhocusWire". www.phocuswire.com. Retrieved 2018-02-09.
  4. ↑ "LP Maurice: A Turning Point for the Montreal Startup Ecosystem". WSJ.
  5. ↑ Quentin Casey (29 May 2013). "Busbud startup pools inter-city bus routes, schedules for travellers". Financial Post.
  6. ↑ "Busbud Help Desk - Answers to All Your Bus Travel Questions". Busbud's Official Website. March 18, 2016.
  7. ↑ "Canadian Startup Busbud Raises $1 Million from iNovia Capital and Real Ventures".
  8. ↑ "Busbud, The Kayak For Intercity Bus Travel, Raises $1M Round Led By iNovia Capital And Real Ventures". TechCrunch. AOL.
  9. ↑ Lora Kolodny. "Busbud Raises $9 Million as Popularity of Intercity Bus Travel Increases". WSJ.
  10. ↑ "Busbud raises $14 million Series B with former Expedia CEO, Luxury Retreats investors". BetaKit. Retrieved 2018-02-09.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.