BusBud, the Montreal startup that created a bus ticket buying platform, has raised a $9 million series A round led by Omers Ventures and Revolution Ventures. iNovia Capital and Real Ventures. Those firms all took part in the company’s initial seed round of $1.2 million back in May 2013.
Busbud is a Montreal-based startup that created a platform for people to search, compare and book bus tickets all over the world. Founder LP Maurice told Techcrunch that the team has grown to over 30 employees (while still actively hiring), while the platform is “leveraging the ground networks of more than 1,500 bus companies around the world.”
Moreover, the founder said the plan now is to focus more on the platform as a booking engine rather than a search engine.
“We have now reached a point where we are shifting from a search site to a booking site. To continue this momentum and ensure we provide a great customer experience to Busbud travellers worldwide, we need to continue to invest in the product and team,” Maurice told the US tech blog.
“Currently, the majority of our routes with sales activated are direct booking. Many of our coach partners prefer direct booking because of higher conversion rates and a better experience for users as they can complete the checkout process in their own language. That said, some partners also prefer to handle the transaction on their own sites, which we are also able to accommodate,” he said.
In January Maurice was named to the list of 2014 NYC Venture Fellows, which is a “world-class, year-long fellowship and mentorship program designed to help high-potential entrepreneurs scale their ventures in New York City.”
Kevin Kimsa, Managing Director at Omers Ventures, said: “Busbud is at the forefront of the transformation of the large and growing global bus travel industry into a modern marketplace. LP and his management team have built an industry-leading platform marrying supply and demand at a time when app-based services are simply expected.”
