23 July 2015
Innovative travel solutions provide huge benefits to Indian commuters

Buses packed with state of the art mobile technology, luxury facilities and high end safety features are easing passenger travel and the daily commute to work for thousands of Indians.

Innovations include GPS vehicle tracking providing real-time travel information and SMS/e-mail reminder alerts, passenger panic buttons which send message alerts with location details to emergency numbers, low platform seating designed for better side impact protection, luxury seats, on-board pantries and LCD entertainment.

Behind this revolution in Indian bus and coach travel is enterprising Nottingham University Business School alumnus Hara Two (MBA 2012), Managing Director of Hara Business Group. Combining many years of experience in the travel and transportation industry with key skills in marketing, operations, innovation and branding developed on the MBA programme, Hara has created a niche and unique service within the Indian travel market.

One of Hara's recent initiatives is the launch of the ‘Techbus,’ a daily pick-up and drop service to and from India's largest information technology park, the vast Technopark in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. With around 5000 cars making their way to the Technopark on any given week day, frequent road blocks and a woefully inadequate public bus service; proper transportation is a major concern for the 40,000 techies who work at the park.

Picking up from multiple points around the city, Techbus has already proved a big success and provided much needed relief for the growing traffic problems. All the Techbuses are luxury air conditioned coaches equipped with GPS location technology linked to a mobile App that provides live updates, enabling commuters to track the whereabouts of the bus, alongside an SMS/e-mail reminder alert system so they never miss their bus.

Hara (pictured in the centre receiving the Tata key) is currently looking at how the real-time mobile technology developed for the Techbus can be adapted for passenger bus travel in the UK.