Railways Developing A Super App: Ashwini Vaishnaw

SUMMARY

From the passengers’ perspective, whatever services one may need will be available on the super app, railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said

Previously, reports claimed that the new super app will provide services such as ticket booking, train status, parcel shipment booking, among others

In the recent past, fintech giants such as PhonePe, CRED, Groww, among others, have launched a slew of new offerings and bundled them on a single app

Railways minister Aswini Vaishnaw said that the government is developing a super app to bring all railway-related services under one roof.

Speaking at an event organised by News18 on Monday (September 16), Vaishnaw said, “From the passenger’s perspective, whatever services one may need will be available on the super app”.

While he did not elaborate further on this, reports previously said that the new super app offering, likely to be developed by the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), will provide services such as ticket booking, train status, parcel shipment booking, among others.

As per a CNBC-TV18 report, the new app is expected to feature two sections – one for passengers and another one related to freight customers. On the user side, the app will also reportedly feature services such as tour packages, cabs, flight and hotel bookings and food orders on the go.

On the freight side, users will be able to avail bulk item booking and parcel booking, and also track their packages among others. The new app will reportedly enable users to make payments and file documentation on the same app.

So far, there seems to be no clarity on the timing of the launch of the new app. Previously, media reports claimed that the app would be launched within 100 days of the swearing in ceremony of the government after the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

Vaishnaw’s comments come at a time when the “super app” fever has gripped the entire Indian startup ecosystem. Fintech giants such as PhonePe, CRED, Groww, among others, have launched a slew of new offerings in the recent past and bundled them on a single app.

More recently, Inc42 reported on how BharatPe is banking on its sister concern Unity Small Finance Bank, in which BharatPe has 49% ownership, to fuel its super app foray.

The move to build a super app has largely been led by considerations around offering all related services in a single place, ease of convenience, creating a more engaging experience and cross-selling services, among others. The companies want to do all this without users leaving their platform, enabling stickiness of users and increasing engagement.

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