India’s first-ever WL & RAC Platform solving for the long outstanding waitlist problem in India, today introduced a new feature that shares real-time PNR Status & Train Journey Information to a train passenger’s WhatsApp. It is aimed at introducing convenience to the overall time-consuming and tiring experience of searching for PNR status & other train information like train delays, live station alerts, etc on multiple apps and websites.
The feature requires the user to just share the 10 digit PNR number only once to the WhatsApp number – +919881193322.
A typical IRCTC user checks his PNR Status approximately 10 to 20 times before the journey date resulting in over 1Cr+ monthly searches for PNR status on Google. With this service, passengers will get regular updates of the PNR Status right on their WhatsApp number. The feature also provides train delay information before boarding so the passenger knows when to reach the station.
Train delay is a significant problem especially for passengers boarding on intermediate stations. While inside the train, passengers will also be informed about the next upcoming station. Around 60L passengers search for this each month on Google as there is no station announcement in IRCTC trains and hence they don’t know when their destination station will arrive.
Rohan Dedhia, Vaibhav Saraf & Hrishabh Sanghvi, Founders, Railofy, said, “As a train passenger there are so many details one needs to take care of. Passengers have to log onto multiple apps and websites to complete a single journey, unlike a flight experience. We are streamlining this entire experience on a single platform with this new feature. We hope this will add more predictability and convenience to the overall experience of train passengers across India.”
Launched in September 2020, Railofy’s USP is that it provides alternate travel at price points close to the railway ticket price which is affordable for the vast majority of Indians without compromising on convenience or timing. Passengers can purchase the protection from the Railofy app (Google Play Store and Mobile-site) against their ticket for an average price of ~200 Rs (starting at Rs 50). Railofy monitors the passenger’s waitlisted ticket in the background. If the ticket is not confirmed post chart preparation, Railofy provides a flight close to the price of a train ticket or bus at a nominal price for shorter routes.
The price for flight/bus options is fixed at the time of purchasing WL & RAC protection itself thus ensuring that passengers are shielded from last-minute rising fares. The user is required to pay for the flight ticket only after chart preparation is out and their name is not listed. Railofy recently raised INR 7 Crores from Chiratae Ventures for a seed round followed by an additional INR 4 Crores from Roots Ventures, Astarc Ventures, Better Capital, and other prominent angel investors.
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