Chalo

What Chalo does

Chalo Mobility Private Limited is an Indian public transport technology company founded in 2014 and headquartered in Navi Mumbai. It operates a multi-modal platform serving both B2B transport operators and B2C commuters. On the operator side, Chalo provides a complete technology stack including GPS tracking devices, Electronic Ticket Issuing Machines (ETIMs), dynamic QR-based UPI ticketing, conductor management apps, and live monitoring dashboards. On the consumer side, the Chalo App delivers live bus tracking, mobile ticketing, mobile bus passes, and a YES Bank-powered NCMC-compliant Chalo Card for contactless tap-to-pay across buses, metros, and retail merchants. Super Saver plans offer prepaid multi-trip bundles with 30-75% discounts.

The company generates revenue through multiple streams: transaction fees on digital ticket collections shared with bus operators, recurring technology subscription fees for the operator stack, hardware sales under multi-year contracts (e.g., the Rs 30 crore BMTC ETM contract), and prepaid wallet float on Chalo Cards. Chalo has expanded through acquisitions of Shuttl (premium office commute) and Vogo (e-bike first/last-mile), and partnerships with Switch Mobility for 5,000 electric buses and ONDC for distribution. It operates in 51+ cities across India and has international presence in Metro Manila and Bangkok, with 15,000 buses live-tracked and approximately 200 million Indians in its addressable market.

Chalo has raised approximately $119 million in total funding across multiple rounds, culminating in a $450 million post-money Series D valuation in 2023 led by Avataar Ventures. The company is currently raising pre-IPO capital. Its primary customers are Indian state and city government transport corporations, with notable concentration risk tied to government procurement and political continuity. Key leadership includes co-founder and CEO Mohit Dubey and co-founder/CTO Vinayak Bhavnani.

Name

Chalo

Legal name

Chalo Mobility Private Limited

Website

https://chalo.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Chalo is an Indian public transport technology company operating a multi-modal platform of live bus tracking, digital ticketing, NCMC payment cards, and ETIM hardware across 51+ Indian cities and select South-East Asian markets, serving both government bus operators and daily commuters.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Transport Technology

NAICS

Bus and Other Motor Vehicle Transit Systems (485113)

SIC

Local & Suburban Transit & Interurban Hwy Passenger Trans (4100)

akta.pro primary industry

Account-Based Ticketing (ABT) Platforms (THAIAMAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Fare Capping, Best-Fare & Account Reconciliation (THAIAMAH)

Keywords

• Public transport technology
• Bus tracking software
• Digital transit payments
• Smart city mobility
• Transit operator platform

Headquarters

HQ city

Mumbai

HQ country

India

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Digital Ticketing Platform: Chalo charges bus operators a share of digital ticket collections. The platform enables mobile, card, and cash tickets through its tech stack.
2. Technology Solutions for Bus Operators: Chalo provides complete tech stack including GPS devices, ETIMs, and digital platforms to bus operators for a fee.
3. ETM Supply Contracts: Four-year contract valued at approximately Rs 30 crore with BMTC for smart ETMs. Chalo supplies around 11,000 smart ETMs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Chalo provides a public transport technology platform for city buses that combines live GPS bus tracking, digital ticketing through a consumer mobile app, contactless prepaid travel cards (Chalo Card PPI and NCMC open-loop), and a complete operator technology stack including GPS devices, Electronic Ticket Issuing Machines (ETIM), dynamic QR-based UPI ticketing, and live operational dashboards. The company serves both bus operators and transport corporations seeking to digitize operations, reduce cash pilferage, and grow ridership, as well as individual commuters seeking real-time arrival information, digital payments, mobile bus passes, and prepaid multi-trip savings plans.

Product overview

Chalo is India's #1 bus transport technology company operating a multi-modal public transport network platform. The core offering consists of the Chalo App (live bus tracking, mobile ticketing, and pass purchase) paired with the Chalo Card (YES Bank-powered tap-to-pay prepaid bus card available as standard PPI or NCMC open-loop card). Supporting products include Super Saver multi-trip prepaid plans offering 50-75% savings, Chalo Bus premium AC services with seat reservation, Shuttl office commute buses, and Vogo e-bikes for first/last-mile connectivity. For bus operators, Chalo provides a complete tech stack including GPS tracking, ETIM hardware, and digital ticketing platforms. The platform covers 51 cities in India plus Metro Manila and Bangkok internationally, with demonstrated ridership increases of up to 50% in the first year of implementation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Chalo App India's #1 bus transport mobile application enabling live GPS bus tracking, real-time arrival estimates, live passenger crowding indicators, mobile bus pass purchase, mobile ticket purchase, and QR code-based scan-and-pay functionality across 51+ Indian cities plus Metro Manila and Bangkok.
• Chalo Card (PPI and NCMC) Tap-to-pay contactless prepaid bus travel card (PPI powered by YES Bank) storing a prepaid wallet with optional Super Saver plans and bus passes; available as a semi-closed loop card or NCMC-compliant open-loop card usable on metros, buses, and retail merchants accepting RuPay.
• Chalo Bus Premium all-day AC bus service operated in partnership with BEST in Mumbai, offering seat reservation via the Chalo App, guaranteed seating, and a premium travel experience for commuters willing to pay for reliability.
• Shuttl Premium office commute bus service brand operated by Chalo in Delhi and Kolkata, offering app-based seat reservation for corporate commute routes.
• Vogo E-bike fleet brand for first and last-mile urban connectivity, integrated into Chalo's multi-modal public transport network solution.
• Chalo Pay Prepaid wallet feature within the Chalo App enabling fast conductor-side ticket validation via phone tap-to-POS and supporting offline wallet transactions for bus travel in Mumbai's BEST buses without requiring network connectivity.
• Operator Technology Stack (GPS, ETIM, Digital Ticketing Platform) Complete B2B technology stack for bus operators including GPS device installation, Electronic Ticket Issuing Machines (ETIM), conductor management apps, digital ticket validation, live bus monitoring dashboards, and digital revenue collection designed to reduce cash pilferage and increase operational efficiency for transport corporations.

Quantifiable outcome

• Increases bus ridership by up to 50% in first year of implementation
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, supporting and minor.

• YES BankcoreTechnology or IntegrationPartnership to issue YES Bank-powered Chalo Cards as prepaid payment instruments (PPI/NCMC) for contactless bus payments.
• ShuttlcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAmazon-backed bus aggregator acquired by Chalo in 2021. Shuttl's leadership and branding remain intact. Expands Chalo's presence in premium office commute segment.
• VogosupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerE-bike brand acquired by Chalo for first and last mile connectivity under the Chalo ecosystem.
• Switch MobilitysupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to deploy 5,000 electric buses in India.
• ONDC (Open Network for Digital Commerce)coreTechnology or IntegrationGovernment-backed digital commerce network enabling over 300,000 daily bus and metro ticket bookings. Chalo integrated for transport ticketing.
• BEST (Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Chalo Bus premium AC service, live tracking, digital ticketing, and NCMC card launch in Mumbai.
• BMTC (Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPilot partnership for dynamic QR-based UPI ticketing through ETMs in 50 buses. Four-year contract valued at approximately Rs 30 crore for smart ETMs.
• GreenZon Recycling Pvt LtdminorOthersE-waste collection and recycling partner for PAN India coverage with disposal at their plant in Sikandrabad, Bulandshahar.
• Professional Logistics Pvt LtdminorOthersReverse logistics partner for channelization of e-waste to recycling facilities across India.
• MahaMetrosupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for feeder bus service in Nagpur to boost last-mile connectivity, officially flagged off in 2026.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Tummoc: Indian multi-modal transit app offering live tracking, mobile ticketing, and passes across buses, metro, and last-mile options. Direct competitor to Chalo App in the same Indian cities and overlapping operator partnerships.
• Optibus: AI-driven operations platform for public transit agencies, providing scheduling, rostering, and on-time performance optimization. Comparable to Chalo on the B2B operator-tech side for global bus operators.
• Citymapper: Urban mobility super-app offering live bus/train tracking, route planning, and ticketing in major global cities. Closely comparable to Chalo App's consumer experience and B2C ticketing model.
• MoveInSync: India-based SaaS platform for corporate employee commute and shuttle operations, similar in technology stack to Chalo's Shuttl offering and operator-tech capabilities for fleet digitization.
• AbhiBus (RedBus): Indian bus ticketing platform (part of RedBus/MAKEMYTRIP) offering online and mobile bus ticket booking across operators. Adjacent to Chalo's mobile ticketing business, though more focused on inter-city and private operators.

Broad incumbents

• Moovit: Global urban mobility app (now part of Intel) providing multi-modal transit tracking and trip planning across thousands of cities. Overlaps with Chalo on the consumer live-tracking experience, though Moovit lacks operator-side ticketing hardware.
• NPCI (National Payments Corporation of India): Operator of India's RuPay and NCMC open-loop card standards, which underpin Chalo's tap-to-pay ecosystem. Functions as both a critical infrastructure enabler and a potential long-term competitive threat as the open standard scales.

Emerging players

• Spare: Transit technology platform enabling on-demand microtransit, paratransit, and fixed-route services for transit agencies. Comparable to Chalo in delivering tech-stack solutions to public transit operators.
• Padam Mobility: European demand-responsive transit and microtransit SaaS provider serving public transport authorities. Comparable in operating-model focus on digitizing bus and shuttle networks via software platforms.
• SWVL: Tech-enabled mass-transit and bus-hailing platform operating in emerging markets, with a model similar to Chalo's Shuttl premium commute service. Comparable as a multi-modal mobility player with enterprise and B2G contracts.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCKSIJ56JRt7YrG6hFQ-wMYA
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• Facebookfacebook.com/chaloapp
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/chaloapp

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds12 records

Investors20 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A2 records

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Chalo