Berlin Startup Wins Over 40% of Bus Market Share With Its Ticket Booking Platform

We worked with the internal team to define the key booking flows: from searching for trips and selecting stations to viewing seat availability and handling payments.

We built the backend using Symfony2 and a REST API architecture. To handle high volumes of requests, especially during peak periods like holidays or discount campaigns, we used Silex, a lightweight PHP micro-framework. Since it is based on Symfony, we could easily add Symfony components as needed for more advanced functionality.

The final version of the platform consisted of three main parts: the sales website (frontend), the company management system (backend), and a central API that connected everything. We also developed a separate portal for partner integrations with bus operators and agency portals, giving them access to reports, sales data, and live stats.

To develop a full-featured web interface, we focused on the most important user flows – searching for trips, selecting seats, and filling in passenger details. Alongside functionality, we also improved the visual design of key pages while keeping the original style intact.

Here’s what we implemented during this stage:

• A smart search form with filters for destination, travel date, and direction
• Real-time results showing available routes, prices, and departure times
• Auto-complete for station names to speed up input and reduce errors

To support the growing network, we also added:

• A routing map that showed how cities were connected
• Landing pages for major cities (like Berlin and Munich)
• An icon-based FAQ to help users find answers without contacting support

To support SEO and offline ticket sales, we created landing pages for each major city. These included schedules, available routes, bus stop maps, and a list of local agencies where tickets could be bought in person.

The client saw the need for a mobile app that would appeal to young, on-the-go travelers. That’s why we got to building native Android and iOS applications, too.

We focused on the UI and closely collaborated with the client’s team on the first version. After that, their in-house team continued development and brought the apps to market.

We created clean, user-friendly apps with three main sections – Station, Booking, and Information – where users could book tickets easily, with no need to register.

Key features included:

• Real-time departure and arrival data
• An interactive map for choosing stops
• Search filters for time, price, and comfort level
• A fast checkout with no account required and minimal steps

As the client was adding more routes in 2013-2014, our role shifted to technical support. We worked on some major additions, among which were:

• Live bus maps, showing vehicles in real time along their routes
• Promocode support, making it easy to apply discounts during campaigns
• Transfer logic, allowing users to book routes with stopovers or multiple legs
• Partner tools, so bus fleet operators could view reports, schedules, and performance stats
• Price optimization algorithms, to help dynamically adjust pricing based on demand and timing

We also supported product scaling. They started with a single route – Freiburg to Munich – and we created the first visual map for it. As the network grew, we redesigned the map three times to keep up with the expanding system.

We were inspired by iconic metro maps from cities like London and New York. As the number of lines grew, the map had to be constantly optimized and geotagged.