Uber Brings Intercity Bus Bookings to Its App Through AbhiBus Partnership

India’s mobility landscape is evolving rapidly, and ride-hailing giant Uber is now taking another significant step to expand how people travel across the country. The company has partnered with AbhiBus, the bus-ticketing platform owned by travel-tech company ixigo, to allow users to book intercity bus tickets directly within the Uber app.

The feature went live across India on March 9, 2026, marking an important expansion of Uber’s mobility offerings in one of its largest global markets. With this integration, Uber users can now seamlessly plan longer journeys — not just short city rides — without ever leaving the app.

The move reflects a broader shift in how digital platforms are trying to become end-to-end travel ecosystems, where users can discover, plan, and complete entire journeys in one place.

Turning Uber Into a One-Stop Travel Platform

With this new integration, Uber users can now access bus ticket bookings through the “Intercity” option available under the Home or Services section of the app.

The booking flow is designed to feel familiar to existing Uber users. Travellers simply enter their origin, destination, and travel date, browse available bus services, choose their preferred seat, and complete the payment — all inside the Uber interface. There is no redirection to external platforms, making the experience similar to booking a cab.

Behind the scenes, the system is powered by AbhiBus’s extensive bus inventory and booking technology.

Through this integration, Uber users gain access to over 600,000 bus routes across India, operated by more than 6,200 bus operators. The sheer scale of this network instantly opens up a massive number of travel options for millions of Uber users across the country.

Features Designed for a Better Bus Booking Experience

The partnership aims to simplify what has traditionally been a fragmented experience in India’s intercity bus ecosystem.

Users booking buses through the Uber app will be able to access several features typically associated with specialized bus-ticketing platforms. These include:

• Real-time seat availability

• Filters for bus types such as AC, Sleeper, Seater, Volvo, and Scania

• 360-degree images of buses on select routes

• Live bus tracking

• 24/7 customer support

Another notable addition is the “Abhi Assured” feature, which offers predefined compensation to passengers in case of service disruptions. This is intended to add an extra layer of reliability and trust to bus travel, which can sometimes be inconsistent depending on operators or routes.

By bringing these capabilities directly into Uber’s app, the companies aim to create a simpler, more transparent bus booking experience.

AbhiBus: Bringing Its Operator Network to Uber Users

According to Rohit Sharma, Chief Operating Officer of AbhiBus, the collaboration focuses on reducing friction in how travellers discover and book buses.

He explained that integrating AbhiBus’s network and booking technology into Uber would bring over six lakh routes directly to millions of users, making bus travel discovery as seamless as booking a cab.

Sharma also noted that the partnership could reshape how intercity bus journeys are booked in India, potentially setting a new benchmark for digital travel experiences in the country.

Uber’s Vision for Seamless Mobility

For Uber, the move aligns with its broader mission of making transportation smoother and more integrated.

Praveen Neppalli Naga, Chief Technology Officer at Uber, described the integration as a natural extension of the company’s vision to make movement easier for everyone.

He emphasized that AbhiBus’s deep relationships with bus operators across India were a key factor behind the partnership, enabling Uber to unlock a new dimension of mobility for millions of Indian travellers.

Rather than being just a ride-hailing service, Uber is increasingly positioning its platform as a comprehensive mobility hub — covering both short-distance urban travel and long-distance intercity journeys.

Why the Intercity Bus Market Matters in India

The strategic significance of this partnership lies in the scale of India’s intercity bus market.

India’s vast road transport network handles hundreds of millions of passenger trips every year, and buses remain the most widely used mode of intercity travel, especially among price-sensitive travellers. Compared to flights or trains, buses offer a flexible and often more accessible option for travel between cities and towns.

By adding bus bookings to its platform, Uber taps into a travel segment that reaches far beyond traditional ride-hailing demand.

A New Distribution Channel for AbhiBus

For AbhiBus, the integration opens up a powerful new customer acquisition channel.

The platform already operates as an official ticketing partner of the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) and works with multiple state road transport corporations (SRTCs) across India.

Embedding AbhiBus’s inventory inside a high-traffic consumer app like Uber means the company can reach millions of users who may not have previously used its platform directly.

This kind of distribution partnership could significantly expand AbhiBus’s reach while strengthening its position in India’s competitive travel-tech ecosystem.

The ixigo Ecosystem Behind AbhiBus

AbhiBus operates under the umbrella of Le Travenues Technology Limited, the parent company behind ixigo.

The company has built a travel ecosystem designed for the next generation of Indian internet users, offering AI-powered bookings for trains, flights, buses, and hotels through platforms such as:

• ixigo

• ConfirmTkt

• AbhiBus

In the financial year ending March 2025, ixigo reported more than 540 million annual active users, highlighting the massive scale at which the group operates.

Announcement Made in Gurugram

The partnership was formally announced during an event in Gurugram, attended by senior leadership from both companies.

Key executives present included:

• Lenin Koduru, CEO of AbhiBus

• Manikandan Thangarathnam, Senior Director of Mobility and Platforms at Uber India

• Rohit Sharma, COO of AbhiBus

• Praveen Neppalli Naga, CTO at Uber

The collaboration signals a growing trend where major consumer apps are evolving into multi-modal travel platforms, combining different transportation options within a single digital interface.