Wanderu Inc.

Wanderu Inc. is a ground and air travel metasearch engine that operates throughout North America and Europe. It provides a search and booking platform for buses, trains, flights, and ferries through its website and mobile app. Founded in 2012, Wanderu is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts.

Wanderu Inc.
Type of site
Privately held company
FoundedFebruary 27, 2012 (2012-02-27)
HeadquartersBoston, Massachusetts, United States
Area servedNorth America
Europe
Key peoplePolina Raygorodskaya, CEO
Igor Bratnikov, COO
IndustryTravel
Technology
URLwww.wanderu.com

History

Foundation

Wanderu was founded in February 2012 by Igor Bratnikov and Polina Raygorodskaya[1] while they were part of GreenXC, an organization intended to raise awareness for national parks and forests throughout the United States.[2] The pair met while they were teenagers at a Russian-language after-school program.[1] They conceived of the idea after a ride share cancelled on them and they had a difficult time finding a bus.[3] Craig Lentzsch, former CEO of Greyhound, became an advisor to the company.[4]

The company gained 20,000 user sign-ups while in beta.[5] On August 12, 2013, Wanderu.com officially launched to the public, covering bus, train travel, and ferries within the Northeastern United States.[4][1]

Growth in North America

In August 2013, the company raised $2.45 million in a funding round led by Alta Ventures.[6] Investors included Jeff Clarke, chairman of Orbitz.[6][1] At the time, the company had partnerships with companies such as BoltBus, Go Buses, Concord Coach Lines, and Trailways of New York.[5]

In May 2014, Wanderu announced a partnership with Greyhound. As a result, Wanderu acquired nationwide coverage.[7]

In November 2014, the company raised $5.6 million in series A funding.[4][8][9][10]

In February 2015, Wanderu released a smartphone application for iOS devices, followed by the release an Android version in March 2015.[8][11]

In April 2015, Wanderu signed a partnership with Amtrak. As a result, Wanderu’s coverage increased to over 90% of the U.S. reachable by ground.[12]

Wanderu partnered with bus companies Grupo Senda and Tufesa in November 2015 to offer trips to multiple destinations across Mexico, as well as options for cross-border travel between Mexico and the United States.[13]

In February 2016, Wanderu announced a partnership with VIA Rail, an intercity passenger rail service in Canada.[14]

Expansion to Europe

In January 2017, Wanderu expanded into Europe, launching service to more than 1,000 destinations across more than 20 countries, including Germany, France, Austria, Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom, among other places.[15][16]

In Europe, Wanderu partnered over 160 bus and train travel providers, including Flixbus, OUIBUS, and National Express.[15][16]

In October 2019, through a partnership with Kayak.com, Wanderu added flights alongside bus and train travel options, allowing users to find and compare bus, train and plane trips to North America and European destinations.[17] The company also partnered with flight-data provider Skyscanner.[1]

Technology

Wanderu is an aggregator that allows travelers to find and compare bus, train and flight options all in the same search.[17] After selecting start and end points and date and time preferences, Wanderu's search engine generates listings which can be filtered by price, duration, and other amenities like access to WiFi.[6] The user is then redirected to the provider's website for booking.[6]

Recognition

Wanderu was a finalist of MassChallenge in the summer of 2012[18] and an original member of PayPal's Start Tank in Boston.[19]

In February 2013, Wanderu won the South by Southwest Accelerator Grand Prize in the Innovative Web Technology category.[20]

In February 2015, Wanderu a top three finalist at Richard Branson’s Extreme Tech Challenge.[21] TIME named the Wanderu app as one of its favorite iPhone apps for the week of February 19, 2015,[22] USA Today named it one of the top budget travel apps of 2015,[23] and CNet called it one of the best apps for booking travel.[24]

In November 2016, Inc. Magazine named Wanderu one of the top 15 companies of 2016.[25]

References
  1. Henry, Zoe. "She Came to America When She Was 4. Now the Company She Started Makes More Than $100 Million a Year". Inc.
  2. "US Forest Service Helps Young Adults Bring Awareness to National Forests Though a Cross-Country Adventure". United States Department of Agriculture. February 21, 2017.
  3. Michonski, Laura (2012-11-07). "Is the Golden Age of Ground Transportation Near? | Budget Travel's Blog | Travel Deals, Travel Tips, Travel Advice, Vacation Ideas". Budgettravel.com. Archived from the original on 2015-06-11. Retrieved 2013-04-30.
  4. Perez, Sarah (6 November 2014). "Just In Time For The Car-Less Generation, Bus And Train Ticket Aggregator Wanderu Raises $5.6M Series A". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2017-02-01.
  5. Brooke, Eliza (2013-08-12). "To Match The Growing Number Of Ground Travelers, Startup Wanderu Launches A Kayak For Bus and Train Schedules". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2023-08-03.
  6. Grant, Rebecca (2013-08-12). "'Kayak for buses and trains' Wanderu raises $2.45M from travel experts". VentureBeat. Retrieved 2023-07-25.
  7. Taub, Alexander. "Travel Startup Wanderu Lands A Partnership With Greyhound". Forbes. Retrieved 2017-02-03.
  8. Perez, Sarah (12 February 2015). "Wanderu Lets You Book Bus And Train Tickets From Your iPhone". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2017-02-01.
  9. Chapman, Lizette (2014-11-05). "Ground Travel Search Pioneer Wanderu Secures $5.6M Series A". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2023-07-14.
  10. FinSMEs (2014-11-05). "Wanderu Raises $5.6M in Series A Funding". FinSMEs. Retrieved 2023-07-14.
  11. Plautz, Jessica (6 May 2015). "Wanderu launches Android app for bus and train booking in the U.S." Mashable. Retrieved 2017-02-01.
  12. "Bus and train travel comparison site Wanderu announces partnership with Amtrak". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2017-02-01.
  13. "Wanderu Expands Partnership with Turimex Internacional - Wanderu". Wanderu. 2015-11-18. Retrieved 2017-02-01.
  14. "Wanderu Partners with Leading Canadian Train Travel Provider VIA Rail - Wanderu". Wanderu. February 10, 2016.
  15. "Find Cheap Train and Bus Fares Across Europe". Travel + Leisure. Retrieved 2017-02-01.
  16. "Bus & Train Travel Search Platform Wanderu Launches in Europe". Wanderu. January 25, 2017.
  17. "Wanderu Adds Flights to Bus and Train Travel Search". Wanderu. October 16, 2019. Archived from the original on October 18, 2019. Retrieved October 18, 2019.
  18. "Wanderu". MassChallenge. 2011-09-22. Archived from the original on 2013-04-26. Retrieved 2013-04-30.
  19. Home Job Board Blogs Deals Networking Calendar Directory (2013-03-01). "Recap from PayPal & StubHub's Office Opening Event [slideshow". VentureFizz. Archived from the original on 2013-05-15. Retrieved 2013-04-30. {{cite web}}: |author= has generic name (help)
  20. Alspach, Kyle (March 14, 2013). "Wanderu wins at SXSW for Innovative Web". American City Business Journals.
  21. Harris, David L. (January 14, 2015). "Wanderu named finalist in Richard Branson startup challenge". American City Business Journals.
  22. Aciman, Alexander (February 19, 2015). "These Are Our Favorite iPhone Apps of the Week". Time.
  23. "10Best Readers' Choice: Best of budget travel". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2017-02-01.
  24. Rotter, Joshua (December 8, 2015). "Best apps for booking travel". CNET.
  25. RAPIER, GRAHAM (November 16, 2016). "This Startup Wants to Drag Bus Travel Out of the Dark Ages--and It Just Might". Inc.
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