We believe cultivating partnerships is the key to creating successful shared mobility. With over 70 partners, so much innovation is happening right here in our network! This month on our partner spotlight series we interviewed Monalisha Thakur, CMO and Co-Founder of Tummoc – India’s first multi-modal public transport app for a chat about multimodal transportation in India.
We first met Monalisha and Tummoc when they became an outstanding applicant for our 2023 EmpowerWISM program. We were highly impressed with Tummoc’s goal to reverse the downward trend in the use of public transport in urban India. Their MaaS app helps to track and find actionable & accurate intracity travel information for the bus/metro/suburban rail. Their goal is to be the go-to B2B and B2C transit system provider in the industry and are hoping to go live in 100+ cities by the end of the 2023-2024 Financial Year.
Keep reading for movmi’s catch up interview with Monalisha Thakur. Learn more about our 2023 EmpowerWISM cohort here.
Tummoc: India's First Multimodal Public Transport App
Tell us a little bit about yourself and background.
In the early stage of my career, I started working at HCL Infosystems Ltd as a Senior Sales Executive. There I looked after key account management, designing video conferencing solutions for customers, and generating prospects at the corporate and government level for VC and AVSI.
After almost two years at HCL, I moved to HARMAN International India Pvt. Ltd as a Senior Regional Sales Manager for South India and Sri Lanka. I spent over five years at Harman, before moving on to Crestron Electronics. I spent over two years at Crestron as a Regional Sales Manager. Before hanging my AVSI sales boots and starting my journey as a full-time entrepreneur at Tummoc, I spent two years as the Sales Manager for the India Enterprise for 2 years at Christie Digital Systems.
A smart commute for India — that’s what I’m working on building every day alongside the team at Tummoc.
My entire career so far has been preparing me for the pressure and challenges that come with being an Entrepreneur. But nothing prepared me for how rewarding it would be to help the commuters of my country and to make their lives a little easier.
A mother, a wife, an entrepreneur, a poet, a singer, but also a creative thinker, and a believer, doing just one thing in life is not my cup of tea. I try to instill the same in the people around me.
Can you tell us a little bit about transportation in India, particularly in your region, and how Mobility-as-a-Service fits into this ecosystem?
Certainly! Transportation in India is a complex and diverse ecosystem.
In Bengaluru, the most common mode of transportation is by road, with the majority of the population relying on buses, cabs, autos, and personal vehicles such as cars and two-wheelers. The city also has a metro system, which is still expanding.
Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) is a relatively new concept in India, but it is gaining traction in cities like Bengaluru, Delhi, and Mumbai. MaaS refers to a platform that integrates various transportation modes and services into a single, seamless user experience. In other words, instead of having to use multiple apps or services to plan and pay for different legs of a trip, MaaS allows users to do it all in one place.
As a MaaS provider in India, we aim to make transportation more convenient, affordable, and sustainable by encouraging users to choose shared modes of transportation.
MaaS has the potential to revolutionize transportation in India. By offering a seamless and convenient user experience, MaaS can encourage more people to choose sustainable modes of transportation and reduce congestion on the city’s roads.
What is Tummoc?
Commute’ spelt backwards is ‘Tummoc’ (well, minus the “e”).
That’s what we’re here for—To reverse the downward trend in the use of public transport in urban India!
Indian cities are congested beyond comfort and the private-vehicle-driven commute habits lead to record pollution levels. The immediate solution is a mass transition to Public Transport.
Tummoc helps track and find actionable & accurate intra-city travel information for the bus/metro/suburban rail. You can purchase passes directly on the app currently only available in Bangalore, soon we’ll be launching online ticketing in other cities. Recently, Tummoc also introduced Live Tracking of DTC Buses in Delhi.
Plan your journey with the best possible public transport routes in seconds! Explore the fastest and cheapest bus, metro or bus AND metro routes. This is a one-of-a-kind service backed by a PATENT! You can also track the cost of your journey and the carbon saved.
We also help you find the best first and last-mile rides to get you to and from public transit stations.
That’s not all! There’s a lot that Tummoc is working on behind the scenes. In the future, you’ll be able to get a single QR/ticket for your entire multi-modal commute.
Leading the Indian smart commute revolution, Tummoc is a multimodal platform promoting public transport while making the most of private modes. It’s the only app you need for all your intracity commute needs! #TummocIt
Tell us a little bit about what it was like to launch Tummoc two years ago and how it has felt to reach 2 million users already.
Reaching 2 million users in just two years is a significant accomplishment for any brand, particularly for a startup. It is a clear indication that the brand’s product or service resonates with its target audience and meets their needs. It also signifies that the brand has been successful in attracting and retaining users over an extended period.
However, it’s important to note that reaching 2 million users is just one milestone in the brand’s journey, and there is still much work to be done to maintain and grow its user base. The brand will need to continue to focus on providing value to its users, optimizing its product or service, and differentiating itself from its competitors to remain successful in the long run.
It’s been such an amazing journey, and we’re grateful to all two million (and more) of you!
It's been such an amazing journey, and we're grateful to all two million (and more) of you!
— Tummoc 🚌🚇🛵🛺 (@tummoc4u) March 7, 2023
Join us on the journey to our next milestone? 🚀#2m #milestone #achievements #tummoc pic.twitter.com/NXh0Ac4Ih0
What does 2023 and beyond have in store for Tummoc?
Tummoc plans to introduce features such as digital ticketing, live tracking and its patented single ticketing in more cities, as well as launch in over 100 cities by the end of FY24.
