Entrepreneurship in the service sector is the next big thing: Introducing RailYatri.in

In coversation with Mr. Kapil Raizada, Co-founder, RailYatri.in

How has the journey been so far at RailYatri.in?

KR: It has been an exciting journey at RailYatri.in. I guess most start-ups go through ups-and-downs, and in that sense it is a very fulfilling experience to see such a positive market validation of the products that we had conceptualized.

If you were to explain RY to a layperson, how would you do it?

KR: RailYatri.in provides train travellers the widest range of train & station information, personalized alerts and access to conveniences like taxi & meals from our select partners. In short, RailYatri.in is the single digital destination for all that a traveller needs for a safe and comfortable travel.

5 lakh downloads in just six months ... that’s a major feat. What was the intent behind starting RY?

KR: Despite a huge travel base of over 2.3 crore daily travellers, train travel had been a largely neglected sector in India. With the rapid adoption of mobile and data connectivity, we felt that this was the right time to provide a comprehensive train traveller oriented platform that could help in all stages of a journey – plan, book, prepare, transit & arrive.

Our first goal was to establish a strong base of train travellers. Having got the minimum scale early on, we are now adding access to essential services from branded players like taxi services and meals.

Are you happy at the stage RailYatri is in, at present?

KR: Yes, very much. The response from the traveller community towards RailYatri.in has been beyond our expectations when we had started earlier this year. Of course, we have a long way to go, but it has been a wonderful journey so far. 

What have been the major challenges that you faced, considering it was a one-of-its kind initiative, at least in the Indian market?

KR: Given the diverse needs of our users spread across the country with differing needs, the biggest challenge initially was to get the right product offering in the market. We initially invested efforts in validating what we felt were the significant unmet needs, before we gained confidence that we were on the right track.

Going ahead, what are your plans? What segment of the market are you planning to capture next?

KR: Our main goal is on growing the number of users. We have seen that once people know about us, they end up being our users, so our focus is to spread the word and ensure that as many people as possible know about RailYatri.in.

Will we see more products being added?

KR: Yes, we have a pipeline of new features & offerings that will be released in the coming months, apart from increasing the portfolio of physical services from our platform.

What does RY have on offer that is different from similar apps in the same domains like Indian Rail Guide, Indian Railways, Indian Train Status etc? 

KR: Oh, quite a lot. Today, RailYatri.in is the only technology platform in the country that allows new content to be added. 

Information like platform number for arriving trains, coach positions, amenities at stations e.g., ATM, cloak room, retiring rooms, etc. are not available anywhere. Our PNR Predictor feature lets users see the Wait List numbers that have got confirmed earlier on the same train, thus helping them take better informed decisions on their travel. We use the GPS from the on-board traveling user’s device for accurate location and delay estimation of the train. Of course, access to services like taxi & meals services during your travel are yet some of the other unique features on RailYatri.in.

What are the key features of your Mobile App?

KR: Apart from the list above, I think that RailYatri.in is the only app which shows travellers what they need to know instead of having to do a search. The app has been so designed that once a travel plan is in place, the app lets you know nearly everything related to your travel from the home screen itself. Apart from the sheer ease, this also ensures that travellers do not miss out on information that they forgot to ask!

For example, take a ‘rainy day’ scenario when your travel may be disrupted, the app will automatically flash an alert display that your train journey is likely to be affected due to an adverse event. Such features help a long way in reducing the stress out of travel.

Tell us something about your add-on services - taxi booking, ordering food and hotel reservations. What is the success rate of these services?

KR: Taxi booking and meals ordering is already happening, while room reservations will be launched shortly. The services automatically show-up once a user adds a travel plan, so all that the user needs to do is to click and place a request which is passed to our partners. The service has been launched recently and we are seeing good response and conversions.

Many travel giants like MakeMyTrip, Yatra, Ixigo have mobile apps that cater to rail bookings. Do you see them as competition?

KR: It’s quite the opposite actually and the travel companies are basically our natural partners, as RailYatri.in focusses on train travellers once their ticket has been booked – either as Wait Listed or Confirmed. In fact some of the services that we offer via our platform to our users can be provided by one of the larger travel players.

iSoft, OnMobile and GlobalLogic and then RY. You have been associated with Product Development at its core. How do you think the market, requirements, approach have changed over the years?

KR: The key changes have been around the growth in the consumer internet space. The focus has shifted almost completely to a mobile –centric development. Also development cycles have shrunk remarkably and it is not unusual to see product companies making multiple releases within the same month, which is less than the time it took to just collect the requirements a few years back. Overall, companies are more open to trying our innovative approaches to attract the consumers. Finally digital marketing has now come to stay and is playing an increasing role in defining the overall product and user experience.

What would be some of the skill sets that are required to do this kind of a job?

KR: Apart from an understanding of technology and consumer behaviour, it helps to have an open mind and willingness to persevere.

Typically, what kind of qualification is required for this job?

KR: We are always looking to add talent in the areas of technology which is our core, and also in the creative/content disciplines. Typically for technology roles and engineering degree is a minimum apart from demonstrated excellence in the chosen field of the candidate. On the creative side, a degree in Fine Arts coupled with experience of working on projects in the digital space, including mobile, is a definite plus.

What would you advise students who want to pursue a career in this field? How should they go about it and what should be their strategy?

KR: There are enough opportunities for students who are genuinely interested in their subjects and have sound fundamentals. Students, especially those in the final year, should focus on working on practical real-life projects which will equip them with the skills required to clear the assessment process. Companies like RailYatri.in which are based out of college campuses typically fit in well, as they allow easy access to the student community and students should try and take full advantage of this.

Lastly, where do you see RY 15 years from now?

KR: 15 years is a long time in today’s world, and hopefully it will be well before that period that we would have established ourselves as the starting point for all train travel in India.