Chalo acquires mobility startup Vogo

Mumbai-based public transport tech startup Chalo has acquired Vogo Automotive, a tech-enabled shared mobility startup. The acquisition will help Chalo’s plan to improve bus ridership and city mobility.

As a part of this acquisition, the company is switching to electric vehicles across its fleet. Vogo will expand Chalo’s bus technology services by powering first and last-mile rides at major bus stops and other public places, enabling crores of bus users to easily travel to and from bus stops.

Vinayak Bhavnani, Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer at Chalo, said, “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.”

Vogo will continue to be known under the same brand name. Padmanabhan Balakrishnan, previously Vogo’s Chief Operating Officer, will serve as the Chief Executive Officer. Vogo’s Founder Anand Ayyadurai will take up a new leadership role for the Chalo group. Abhimanyu Goyal, who was Vice President for engineering, will be elevated to Chief Technology Officer. Sharath Parameswaran, who was the Vice President for operations and growth, will become Chief Business Officer of Vogo.

Balakrishnan said, “We are pleased to join forces with the Chalo team. We have a common vision of solving the daily commute. Vogo democratised access to transport, and with Chalo we take this a step further in serving crores of people who rely on buses. We have already begun our transition to a 100% electric fleet and will also expand into new vehicle categories to serve people better.”