India’s largest online bus ticketing platform redBus has launched NOVA, a business-to-business marketplace aimed at modernising the country’s intercity bus ecosystem. Announced on January 6, 2025, the platform connects more than 6,000 bus operators with verified vendors across India. NOVA functions as an integrated marketplace where bus owners can access a wide range of products and services, from safety equipment to tools that improve operational efficiency. The platform offers discounts of 20 to 40 per cent on products such as CCTV cameras, alcohol testing meters, driver monitoring systems and fuel additives that claim to deliver fuel savings of around 5 per cent. The marketplace is integrated with redPro, redBus’s cloud-based analytics platform, enabling operators to purchase products while simultaneously accessing dashboards and insights in one place. This integration is designed to support data-driven decision-making in areas such as fleet management and passenger services. Prakash Sangam, chief executive officer of redBus, said the platform addresses long-standing challenges faced by bus operators, including procurement inefficiencies, reliability concerns and limited product discovery. He added that NOVA also enables smaller businesses and start-ups to reach a pan-India base of intercity bus operators. During its pilot phase, more than 100 operators placed at least one order through the platform. NOVA has been designed to tackle industry-wide issues such as fragmented sourcing, inconsistent product quality and delays in vendor payments through an integrated settlement framework. India’s intercity bus market is currently estimated at around Rs 474.4 billion, supported by the world’s second-largest road network. The launch of NOVA marks a strategic expansion of redBus’s B2B offerings beyond its core ticketing business. Founded in 2006, redBus operates across several countries including India, Singapore, Malaysia, Peru, Colombia, Indonesia, Cambodia and Vietnam. The company has sold more than 466 million bus tickets globally and serves a customer base of about 52 million users. redBus is part of the MakeMyTrip group, which is listed on Nasdaq under the symbol MMYT.