If you have already travelled by train anywhere in India, you are familiar with the stress that comes with booking a ticket. If you are on the waiting list or RAC, your chances of getting a confirmed ticket are very slim. You will have to wait for the chart of the confirmed ticket released four hours before the departure of the train. If you still don’t get confirmed access, you can either get yourself a general compartment ticket or travel by standing in the train throughout your journey.
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Railofy Aims To Eliminate Issues With Waiting List
The whole cycle of waiting lists is not just for people who book tatkal tickets but also who book in advance. Millions of passengers are affected regularly by the system, and with no option left during emergencies, people often end up purchasing flight tickets at inflated rates. One such harrowing experience of a person gave birth to Railofy, a startup that aims to eliminate the issues associated with the railway waiting list. Indian Railways Starts Clone Train Scheme To Reduce Waitlisted Passengers; Here’s Everything You Need To Know.
A Harrowing Flying Experience Gave Birth To The Startup
So here is his story: Rohan had booked two train tickets to take his grandmother to their native home in Kutch from Mumbai. Their seats were not confirmed till the end, and Rohan ended up buying flight tickets. The airlines charged them four times the usual price. Utterly disappointed with the episode, Rohan aggressively researched about how to predict the chances of getting a confirmed ticket while sitting at the airport. He found that India has almost 50,000 empty seats on flights each day. Four years later, Rohan started Roilofy, and their operations began in January 2020.
Railofy Raised 70 Million From Investors
Within the first few months, they crossed a hundred purchases, and recorded over 60,000 visits on the website. Seeing the overwhelming response, the bootstrapped startup recently raised Rs 70 million in its seed round from Chiratae Ventures. Chug Along In A Mini Train Through The Scenic Veli Village Of Kerala In Just ₹60; Starting Oct 7.
Railofy Provides A Flight Option If Railway Ticket Is Not Confirmed
If a railway ticket is not confirmed in the chart, Railofy provides an option of a flight. The flight option is close to the price of a train ticket. They also offer opportunities for busses to the destination. The price for flight or bus is fixed at the time of purchasing WL & RAC protection itself, ensuring that passengers do not have to pay last-minute rising fares. All one has to do is visit the website and pay a nominal fee of Rs 200 to buy the protection. The website will reveal the price of the flight ticket while registering.
Users Will Get Flight Tickets In The Price Close To The Train Ticket
The user can pay for the flight ticket only after chart preparation is out. So in case, the railway ticket is confirmed in the chart, the user only loses on the protection fee that ranges from Rs 50 to Rs 500. If the ticket is not guaranteed, the user gets the flight tickets as well as the refund of the unconfirmed railway ticket. The passenger has to pay for the protection fee and the pre-decided price of the flight. Repatriation Flight Tickets To India To Be Costlier.
Railofy also monitors the PNR, and if the ticket is not confirmed, the Railofy team will reach out via email to provide the flight ticket at the locked price. The railway will process a refund at the same time.
First Published: September 23, 2020 12:49 PM