Malaysian startups collaborate to offer integrated services to students

• CatchThatBus, MyTeksi and TextBookAsia come together
• Students key customer segments for all three startups

THREE Malaysian startups – CatchThatBus, MyTeksi and TextBookAsia – have agreed to a collaboration that would see the student community enjoying integrated services at a discount, CatchThatBus said in a statement.
 
Express bus tickets bought from CatchThatBus will now also come with discounted taxi rides courtesy of MyTeksi for students to travel to and from the bus station in locations such as the Klang Valley, Putrajaya, Cyberjaya, Seremban, Melaka, Johor Baru and Penang.
 
In addition to being able to purchase tickets online from CatchThatBus.com and the CatchThatBus Android app, students can also purchase tickets for cash from all TextBookAsia branches at seven university campuses nationwide, with more bookstores to follow soon.
 
Students no longer need to travel off-campus to the bus station simply to purchase tickets, CatchThatBus said in a statement.
 
“Students are one of our key customer segments, so we tried to find partnerships that would enhance their overall experience with us,” said its chief executive officer (CEO) Viren Doshi (pic).
 
“Getting to the bus station, and trying to pay online seemed to be the biggest problems facing students, so what better than grabbing a taxi to the station, and being able to buy in cash, on-campus?
 
“MyTeksi and TextBookAsia seemed natural partners to go with,” he added.
 
CatchThatBus specialises in bus-related travel in Malaysia and Singapore and currently has 16 operators in its network, including Transnasional, Plusliner & Starmart Express, and plans to increase this to 30 operators by year-end.
 
In May, the company raised an undisclosed amount of funding from angel investors and Singapore-based venture fund Jungle Ventures, as well as Singapore’s National Research Foundation (NRF).
 
TextBookAsia is a platform that allows students to sell and buy textbooks. “We want to help students by providing ‘one-stop services’ at all our participating bookstores; we want to be more than just a bookstore,” said its CEO Bryan Ong.
 
MyTeksi, a Malaysian startup that specialises in taxi-booking apps, has gone regional under the name GrabTaxi, and has raised funds twice this year: An undisclosed amount in its Series A in April; and US$15 million in its Series B in May.
 
“We’re happy to be working with CatchThatBus to help offer students a safe, certain, and economical alternative to car ownership,” said its deputy general manager Jaygan Fu.
 
Related Stories:
 
This ‘bus’ is worth catching
 
Finally, relief for taxi users
 
Disrupt: 'Taking money in Malaysia would've been a mistake'
 
 
For more technology news and the latest updates, follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn or Like us on Facebook.