Public transport technology platform Chalo on Monday announced acquisition of scooter rental startup Vogo, six months after it had bought bus aggregator Shuttl’s business for an undisclosed sum in October.
Chalo said that the latest buyout will fuel its bus technology services by powering first and last-mile rides at major bus stops and other public places.
As part of the acquisition, Vogo is foraying into the electric vehicle space and looks to expand beyond two wheelers and offer other types of EVs.
Post-buyout, Vogo will continue under the same brand name, and also its founders Anand Ayyadurai and Padmanabhan Balakrishnan and the rest of the startup’s team will continue with Chalo and Vogo.
Vogo, founded in 2016 by Anand Ayyadurai and Padmanabhan Balakrishnan, is present in Hyderabad and Bengaluru, fulfilling about 50,000 rides daily before Covid-19 struck, severely impacting the shared mobility sector.
It counts Lightrock, Kalaari, Matrix Partners and Stellaris Venture Partners among its investors.
“This acquisition offers Chalo key strategic gains. Now we will be able to offer a convenient and cost-effective option for bus passengers to travel to and from bus stops, solving the door-to-door daily commute. This will increase bus ridership and serves our core purpose of making travel more convenient and reliable for all,” said Vinayak Bhavnani, Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of Chalo.
Founded in 2014 by Mohit Dubey, Nikhil Aggarwal and Vinayak Bhavnani, also provides contactless payment solutions with an aim to transform bus travel into a safer experience. Chalo, which is operated by Zophop Technologies Pvt Ltd, has raised $62 million so far with this latest funding in October.
The company has a presence in 37 cities across 13 Indian states including Maharashtra, Delhi NCR, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Assam, and others.