5 Travel Startups Speeding Up Inter-City Trips and Transfers

Travelers have more options to move from one major hub to the next than they did a decade ago, but many of these options are expensive and inconvenient.

This week we look at how five startups want to connect travelers moving around different cities and tourist centers while adding a bit of personalization, convenience, and common sense in the process. Even if some of these ideas aren’t scalable in the long-term, they highlight areas where brands can address opportunities in the travelers’ journeys that have been ignored for too long.

GoOpti is a European shuttle service that connects passengers traveling from smaller towns to large airports. Available via web or mobile app, GoOpti’s platform allows travelers to map out a route, book and pay for a trip. GoOpti also partners with travel agencies and hotels to accommodate larger groups.

>>SkiftTake: Figuring out the best way to get to the airport is still a burden to many travelers, especially if they live in rural or suburban areas where shuttle or mass transit options aren’t available.

Daytrip is a transfer service for travelers going between major cities and tourist spots. Drivers double as local guides and facilitate sightseeing along the way.

>>SkiftTake: We’re not sure how scalable a model like Daytrip is, but it’s certainly a nice concept that adds more personalization to a part of the journey that brands often ignore.

Skedaddle is a mobile app that helps travelers who live in U.S. cities find transportation options for traveling outside of urban areas. Travelers get picked up by a professionally driven luxury vehicle when at least nine others are headed the same way.

>>SkiftTake: City dwellers in much of the world definitely need more humane options for traveling outside of their cities. Skedaddle isn’t the first company to try to solve this pain point (think Zipcar, for example) but its approach towards efficiency in travel is notable.

LovTransfers is a booking site for city-to-city ride-sharing transportation or trips sold by small- and medium-size ground transport companies.

>>SkiftTake: The global city-to-city transportation market — one that ride-sharing giants have yet to break into — is still ripe for disruption from legacy bus and rail brands.

MagicBus is a van service that helps commuters living in other cities get to their jobs in major hubs.

>>SkiftTake: Commuting is part of the travel industry too, and ride-share brands like Uber and Lyft already realize this and are trying to break into this segment.

For all of our SkiftSeedlings collection, check out our archives here.