SmartBus, smarter future: This brand is rebranding intercity travel in India with predictive tech to washroom buses

As travel transforms across India with a growing push for safer, cleaner, and tech-enabled mobility, IntrCity SmartBus is positioning itself at the centre of this shift. The company's intercity mobility platform is betting on technology and standardisation to redefine long-distance bus travel, especially beyond the metros.

This momentum isn’t incidental. It’s the result of a deliberate, tech-led overhaul of intercity travel. “This milestone is not just a reflection of IntrCity’s success, but a signal that the intercity bus travel sector—often perceived as fragmented and largely unorganised—is ripe for transformation,” said Manish Rathi, CEO and Co-founder of IntrCity SmartBus, in an exclusive conversation with Business Today.

Rathi attributes the breakthrough to solving an old industry conundrum: achieving scale with profitability. “Balancing scale and unit economics had been the biggest impediment in the bus industry for decades. Our milestone of profitability combined with growth is special... it demonstrates all the traits of an organised industry and becoming ripe for long-term investments.”

Today, IntrCity operates on 630+ routes across 16 states, with buses offering trained captains, onboard washrooms, clean boarding lounges, and on-time service. It’s not just customers who are noticing. Over the past year, more than 200 new buses have been added by operator partners.

“We’re seeing growing trust from operators because we offer more than just bookings—we offer real business growth,” Rathi said. “They benefit from higher occupancy, better yield, and access to a premium brand built on consistency.”

That consistency is no accident. The company relies heavily on its technology stack, which includes an Operator Dashboard, Crew App, and IoT-enabled fleet analytics system. “These aren’t just tech buzzwords—they’re key enablers of trust,” Rathi said, highlighting how predictive maintenance and real-time tracking have reduced breakdowns and improved punctuality.

Customer satisfaction is built into the service model. “Every trip is tracked, every abnormality is analyzed, and every input from travelers is fed back into improving the service,” said Rathi. Net Promoter Scores (NPS), captain ratings, and operational KPIs feed into constant service upgrades.

The company’s roadmap includes penetrating Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities, where access to clean, punctual, and respectful transport is often lacking. “We believe the future of travel is about access to quality, not just affordability,” Rathi noted. “Our goal is to bring SmartBus-level experience to every corner of the country.”

A crucial part of that vision is RailYatri, IntrCity’s companion app that serves 14 million monthly users with comprehensive train travel information. “RailYatri gives us unparalleled visibility into how India moves. As we evolve, we see it working even closer with IntrCity to offer a unified platform—train, bus or both,” he said.