SMS-based coach trip booking for cell phone owners

India-based holiday booking site MakeMyTrip is now enabling consumers to arrange a bus journey across the country with just a couple of text messages.

According to reports, smartphones are now outselling regular cell phones as more people look to take advantage of the benefits of the mobile web. However, the global standard cell phone market is still nearly 50 percent of the total share, showing a continuing need to cater for that audience. While businesses such as Rickshawale have offered taxi hiring in India via SMS, holiday booking site MakeMyTrip is now enabling consumers to arrange a coach trip across the country with just a couple of text messages.

The platform first requires MakeMyTrip customers to send a text message which details the start location, destination, number of passengers and desired dates of travel. MakeMyTrip then responds by SMS with a numbered list of available options and operators. An IMPS template is then sent to be filled out with card details in order for a payment to be made for any bookings. If the payment is successful, customers will receive a final message with the details of their journey. The site worked with SMS application developer txtWeb to create the service, which now serves more than 12,000 bus routes across India.

The scheme means that not only those with smartphones can conveniently organize big ticket purchases on the go, opening up the benefits of the web to the considerable market of consumers without a data connection. How else can businesses ensure that cell phone owners aren’t ignored in favor of the smartphone crowd?

Spotted by Murtaza Patel, written by Springwise