Surya Khurana reflects on how technology and trust propelled FlixBus India’s journey to 1 million passengers in just one year, transforming intercity travel across the country.
When FlixBus India launched its services in February 2024, few could have predicted just how swiftly it would scale. One year later, the company has crossed the remarkable milestone of one million passengers — a figure that stands not just as a business achievement but as a powerful validation of the model FlixBus believed in from the start.
“It’s a stamp of belief on the hypothesis we set out with,” says Surya Khurana, Managing Director of FlixBus India.
That hypothesis was both simple and ambitious – If India’s intercity bus ecosystem — long defined by fragmentation, unpredictability, and uneven service quality — could be reimagined with consistency, safety, tech integration, and a customer-first mindset, passengers would respond.
With this vision in mind, FlixBus set out to transform the landscape of intercity travel. And they did — in millions. In just 12 months, FlixBus connected over 200 cities across India with more than 900 routes, providing dependable, long-distance travel to nearly a million people.
But the road to that milestone was far from easy. “India is not the easiest market to do any operational business, let alone one that sits at the intersection of technology and sustainability,” Surya reflects.
The bus operator space was deeply fragmented, and customer trust was low. “There was an urgent need and a massive gap in what the customers expected and what was mostly being delivered.”
It was clear from day one that scaling in India would require more than technology and ambition. It would need deep integration with local ecosystems — and that began with choosing the right partners.
“We’ve been clear about what we want in this market. We want to grow sustainably, responsibly, and keep quality high.”
One of the cornerstones of FlixBus India’s early success has been its collaborative model. Unlike traditional operators, FlixBus doesn’t own a fleet. Instead, it works closely with regional bus partners who operate their own vehicles under the FlixBus brand and systems.
This model allowed the company to scale quickly while staying asset-light. But more than that, it enabled FlixBus to embed itself in local ecosystems.
“The bulk of what you see on a daily basis is actually put forward by our local operators,” says Surya. “They’re the life and blood of our business. They’re the face of what we do every day to our customers.”
For FlixBus, operators are more than partners—they’re co-drivers of customer experience. Surya sees them as one of his most important customer segments. “If I am able to grow and nurture strong relationships with bus partners, create well-defined SOPs, train them, enable them, and give them the right financial incentives—that’s what grows the baseline of our business.”
As FlixBus continues to expand, its focus remains on identifying and partnering with operators and entrepreneurs across India who share a vision for sustainable mobility and customer-first service.
Also Read: The Future of the Bus Industry is Tech & Smart Strategy Says Abhijeet Konduskar, CEO Konduskar Travels
“Trust is nothing but delivering what you’re promising.”
FlixBus recognized early that the biggest gap in India’s intercity bus market wasn’t affordability or availability—it was trust. Customers often booked journeys without knowing if the bus would actually show up, if it would leave on time, or if the vehicle would match what they saw online.
For Surya, trust is about follow-through. “If I say I’m going to be there for an interview and I show up, you’ll trust me. If I say I’ll make coffee every morning, and I do, it builds trust. It’s the same in business.”
That belief translated into clear actions. Every FlixBus booking shows the exact model of the bus—down to whether it’s a 12-meter or 13.5-meter vehicle and even specifics like the layout and OEM. Customers are told upfront what kind of seat and configuration to expect.
“If a bus is under repair or delayed, and we have to change it, we inform the customer. That’s how trust is reinforced,” Surya explains.
“People have been conditioned to expect last-minute changes, delays, and cancellations. Our aim was to change that.”
He acknowledges that the market is still adjusting to this transparency. “People have been conditioned to expect last-minute changes, delays, and cancellations. Our aim was to change that.”
And while not everything is always in control, FlixBus focuses on consistent communication and keeping the customer informed at every step. “Delivering what you promised—or letting them know if you can’t—is what builds trust.”
Also Read: The Bus Industry is Not the Same Anymore — Cee Jay Trans’ Solomon Dinakaran on Surviving in a Changing Market
“We had to customize the global service to the Indian market.”
While FlixBus brought with it a globally proven model, adapting to India meant rethinking key parts of its customer experience. The company invested heavily in localization—not only operationally, but technologically and culturally.
Surya highlights that they spent time speaking with customers across different cities, studying their behaviour at boarding points, and conducting focus groups to understand what truly matters to them. “When you look at the India Flix experience, it’s different in a lot of ways,” he says.
Real-time bus tracking, host visibility, WhatsApp-based communication, multiple payment modes, and safety measures like AIS compliance and seatbelts were all deliberate additions based on local needs.
“We wanted to ensure we have a consistent and functional service. Everyone who touches the customer—whether it’s the driver, the host, or the app—must be obsessed with the experience,” he adds.
India also became the first FlixBus market to pioneer WhatsApp as a primary communication channel. A chatbot was launched at entry to provide round-the-clock support and drive customer satisfaction at scale.
“You can’t operate at this scale without technology.”
If India demanded scale, it also demanded systems that could sustain it. For FlixBus, technology wasn’t just a part of the model—it was the enabler of everything.
“There’s no way we can do what we do at the scale that we do without technology,” says Surya. From pre-booking to fleet tracking, from customer service to dynamic route management—tech powers it all.
Each vehicle is GPS-enabled. In some cases, buses are equipped with telematics. Station selection and creation are powered by GIS. Customer queries are handled through AI-based self-service tools. Communication around delays, cancellations, or rerouting is automated in real time.
“In the past, operators had to call each passenger manually to say the bus is late or the pickup point has changed. Now, all of that is automated,” he explains. The result is efficiency, consistency, and the ability to scale without overwhelming the system.
Surya believes this approach isn’t just about FlixBus—it’s the future of the sector. “This creates more scalability, and it’s the direction the industry will move in.”
Also Read: IntrCity’s Manish Rathi on the Road Ahead for Electric Bus Adoption in the Private Sector
“Indian consumers are ahead of the curve when it comes to interacting with technology.”
Understanding Indian consumer behaviour was central to how FlixBus designed its offering. While many markets are still adjusting to digital-first travel, Indian users, according to Surya, are ahead of the curve.
“The Indian consumer is very value-conscious, very quality-conscious, and also very tech-savvy. They are mobile-first and app-first. And they expect technology to make life easier,” he says.
When he first used the global FlixBus app years ago, Surya recalls it felt distinctly European. “Now when I use the Indian version, it doesn’t feel global anymore. It feels tailor-made for India.”
“The Indian consumer is very value-conscious, very quality-conscious, and also very tech-savvy. They are mobile-first and app-first. And they expect technology to make life easier.”
The team focused on making the experience intuitive—clear communication, responsive updates, simplified flows, and local expectations built into the tech. “They want to know where the bus is, stay in touch with the host, use their preferred payment mode, and get quick customer support. That’s what we delivered.”
He adds that Indian users are also increasingly sustainability aware, and many are now open to shifting their habits toward greener alternatives. “That’s a positive trend and one that aligns with what we offer.”
“People → Process → Product. That’s how we build.”
As FlixBus India scaled, the company relied on a simple but effective framework: start with people, move to process, and then build it into the product.
“Everything starts with people—solving a problem manually, figuring out what works. If it works repeatedly, you make it a process. And if that continues to deliver, you automate it with tech,” Surya explains.
He believes this approach creates scalability while maintaining quality. “If you rely only on people, you get inconsistency. Processes help—but they can break, too. Technology brings reliability in repetition.”
This thinking extends across functions—whether it’s operations, marketing, or customer experience. Internally, the team uses this framework to decide what to systemize and what still needs human input.
Also Read: Gobind Coach Builders: Unleashing Unstoppable Innovation
“Plans seldom turn out how you expect. You have to pivot and learn.”
While systems and SOPs have their place, Surya is clear that rigidity doesn’t work in a dynamic market like India. One of the biggest lessons the company has learned is the need to remain flexible.
“You set out with a plan, but very soon, the market shows you something completely different,” he says. “What you need is direction—but also the ability to react quickly, pivot, and keep learning.”
Surya believes the mindset that helps in such situations is to always remain in “beta mode”—tweaking, evolving, and staying humble. “If you get too attached to the plan and it doesn’t work, you’ll get stuck. You need to respond to reality.”
This philosophy has shaped everything from route strategy to communication design and has allowed the company to continuously improve in response to what customers actually need.
“We want to achieve market leadership.”
Now that the one-million mark has been crossed, FlixBus has a clear vision for what comes next: to become the market leader in tech-enabled intercity mobility.
Surya says the company is now focused on building deeper connectivity across India—particularly in corridors where trains don’t run frequently, like hilly regions in the North. “In these areas, buses are the default option. You just need to offer good quality, and people will switch.”
The company is also exploring demand-led opportunities. During the recent Mahakumbh, for example, FlixBus observed spikes in movement from cities like Delhi and Lucknow, which led to new direct routes. “We saw demand that wasn’t organically there before—and built interconnections from it.”
High-volume corridors like Bengaluru–Hyderabad are also being expanded, and the company is increasing its presence in both South and West India.
“We’ve been clear about what we want in this market,” Surya says. “We want to grow sustainably, responsibly, and keep quality high.”