Online ticketing platforms sprout amid quest for convenience

The online ticketing business in Bangladesh has grown significantly in the past few years as the service ensures hassle-free purchases at fair prices without having to physically visit the ticket booths.

As such, at least a dozen e-ticketing platforms have emerged aiming to capitalise on people's preference for convenience when availing transport facilities, according to market players.

The demand is particularly high during holiday seasons, especially Eid-ul-Fitr, when a huge number of people travel across the country, sending online ticket sales higher by up to four times the normal level.

Motahar Hossain, a senior call centre executive at Paribahan.com, said the biggest advantage of e-ticketing is that customers can buy tickets from wherever they choose, be it home, office or elsewhere.

"Even if they want to cancel the ticket, they can do it online within the specific time at no extra charge."

Hossain pointed out that their customers can get all pieces of information from the company's website, including the types and names of transport companies, fares, and their departure and arrival times.

"For this reason, the demand for e-ticketing platforms is increasing."

However, there was not much demand for online ticketing services when Paribahan.com began operations. "Now the situation is different," Hossain added.

Paribahan began its journey in 2002. In the beginning, 10 to 12 tickets were sold each day during normal times. Now, sales have increased to 250 and 300 tickets per day.

"And 600 to 700 tickets are sold each day ahead of Eid," he said.

There were about two or three online ticketing platforms about 20 years ago but their number has since increased to 10 or 12. They collectively sell about Tk 1,500 crore worth of bus, train and launch tickets each year, according to industry people.

Some of the most popular online ticketing platforms include bdtickets.com, paribahan.com, chokrojan.com, sharetrip.net, gozayaan.com, flightexpert.com, shohoz.com, jatri.co, and buytickets.com.bd.

About 3,000 people are currently employed by online ticketing platforms.

"Out of every 100 tickets sold across the country each day, about three are purchased online. So, from that point of view, there is a lot of business potential for this segment," said Kazi M Hassan, chief executive officer of r-ventures PLC.

The parent company of bdtickets.com, r-ventures began its journey in 2018 with sales of up to 3,000 tickets per month. Now, the company registers monthly sales of 60,000 to 70,000 tickets.

Hassan said the business is particularly good ahead of Eid-ul-Fitr when sales triple.

An official of Shohoz, one of the largest e-ticket platforms, said people did not have much confidence in making online payments for products or services just three to four years back.

However, Covid-19 played an important role in changing the mindset as people were forced to go for online purchases amid the restrictions on public movement.

"Consequently, people's trust in online payments deepened while various government initiatives to this end played a significant part, boosting online ticket sales," the official said.

Having started operations in 2014, Shohoz registers sales of 80,000 to 90,000 bus tickets and 100,000 train tickets each day.

Borhan Uddin, a senior executive for business development at Chokrojan, says it usually sells 1,000 tickets per month in normal times whereas it has gone up to about 5,000 presently.

If they compare the ticket sales ahead of Eid-ul-Fitr in 2023 with that of this year, sales have increased four-fold.

He acknowledged that many still do not have confidence in buying tickets online and there are various complaints.

"However, there is business potential here. So, we are working to increase trust."

Monirul Alam, a private sector employee who lives in Dhaka's Mirpur, said he goes to his village every year to celebrate Eid with his family.

Three to four years ago, he was always under a lot of mental pressure to buy tickets amid the mad dash for transport services ahead of the biggest religious festival in the Muslim-majority nation.

"Not only did I have to stand in long queues, there were concerns over whether I would be able to buy a ticket for the preferred date," Alam said.

"Now, there is no such concern because tickets can be easily purchased online."

Farzana Faiza Bushra, manager for public relations at GoZayaan, said the demand for e-ticketing started increasing notably from the mid-2000s with the growth of internet penetration and growing reliance on digital platforms for various services.

And it gained significant traction in the early 2010s, when several online ticketing platforms emerged, offering convenience in booking tickets for various modes of transportation such as buses, trains, and flights.

"The trend has continued, with more people preferring the convenience of online booking over traditional methods," she added.

AKM Mahfuzul Alam, chief sales officer of ShareTrip, which only deals with air tickets, said the company sold nearly 400,000 tickets in the fiscal year of 2022-23, up about 40 percent year-on-year.