It appears Amazon’s intention of expanding into travel is very real, with the e-commerce giant launching a private bus ticket booking service in India.
According to business news site Mint, Amazon.in’s new service is in partnership with online bus ticket booking platform redBus, which is part of online travel aggregator MakeMyTrip.
The deal means Amazon customers can now access bus service ratings by passengers and track buses live via redBus. Customers also have access to bus numbers and staff contact info prior to departure, according to Mint.
Amazon.in said in a statement that customers can book the tickets via the Bus Tickets category under the Amazon Pay tab.
Furthermore, those customers who need to cancel a booking will only have to pay the penalty by the operator, with Amazon.in not enforcing any additional charges.
Vikas Bansal, director at Amazon Pay, said: “Over the course of time, Amazon app has become the one-stop destination for the shopping and payment needs of our customers.
“We are pleased to announce the booking of bus tickets on Amazon. We are excited to partner with redBus and move another step forward in making life easy for our customers.”
The Times of India has reported that Amazon is in talks with other platforms to add hotels and train ticketing to its travel offering, which already includes domestic flight bookings in India via online travel agency Cleartrip.
