Zingbus Funding Journey: Scaling Intercity Travel
Zingbus has quickly become one of India's most loved intercity travel brands, connecting over 300 cities across 17 states and fulfilling more than 5 million bookings for 2 million+ customers. But building this kind of scale in the capital-intensive mobility space takes more than just ambition. It requires smart financing decisions at every stage.
This is the story behind how Zingbus raised both equity and debt to fuel its growth, and how Recur Club played a key role in streamlining its debt financing journey.
The Vision Behind Zingbus
Founded with the mission to revolutionize intercity mobility in India, Zingbus isn’t just building a bus service, they’re building an electrified highway ecosystem, one route at a time.
“Buses are now at the forefront of intercity travel. Flights cater to the top 2-3% of Indians—but what about the rest of the population?”
The Zingbus team began operations with routes like Delhi–Jaipur and Delhi–Manali. What started as a few buses on these routes soon turned into a country-wide network. Their goal: to become the most loved brand in intercity mobility, offering reliable, tech-first, and affordable transport across India.
Equity Funding Milestones
Zingbus raised its first round of equity in late 2019, which helped it rapidly scale operations. But like most travel startups, the company was hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Travel was one of the sectors that was hit the hardest. That’s how a world without travel looks like.”
Post-pandemic recovery saw a major funding milestone. In mid-2021, Zingbus raised $5.5 million in an institutional round led by Info Edge Ventures. This round helped Zingbus expand its reach, upgrade infrastructure, and double down on customer experience.
Enter Recur Club: Powering Growth Through Debt Capital
As Zingbus grew, it needed more flexible, non-dilutive capital to fuel operations, especially in a capital-heavy space like mobility. That’s when the team turned to Recur Club for debt financing.
“Equity capital is the most expensive form of capital. The cost at which you’re able to attract debt is significantly lower.”
Zingbus initially raised debt through Recur Club and found the experience refreshingly streamlined.
“The entire process was laid out, the tech was simple, and the timelines were fast. The handholding from the team really sealed the deal.”
Unlike traditional lenders who demand piles of paperwork and weeks of back-and-forth, Recur Club enabled Zingbus to access capital quickly—with minimal effort from their internal team.
“Other debt players are quite old-fashioned in their approach. But with Recur, it was easy and customer-first.”
Why Debt Made Strategic Sense
For fast-growing startups like Zingbus, timing is everything. Raising large rounds of equity too early can result in unnecessary dilution. By raising debt from Recur Club, Zingbus was able to:
- Extend runway without giving up equity
- Match financing to predictable revenue
- Keep the team focused on growth, not documentation
“It’s not just about cost. It’s also about ease and speed. And Recur Club checked all the boxes.”
The Road Ahead
Zingbus isn’t slowing down anytime soon. With a fleet of over 200 vehicles and a vision to electrify India’s highways, the company is set to redefine how India travels between cities.
Recur Club remains a proud partner in that journey, supporting Zingbus with non-dilutive capital that powers their expansion, innovation, and infrastructure.
TL;DR: Zingbus Funding Highlights
- First equity round: Late 2019
- Institutional round: $5.5M in mid-2021, led by Info Edge Ventures
- Debt raised from Recur Club, enabling fast, hassle-free capital access
- Connected 300+ cities, fulfilled over 5M bookings
- Using debt to lower cost of capital and scale faster without dilution
Looking for flexible funding like Zingbus?
Recur Club connects startups with 100+ lenders offering debt solutions that match your growth- without giving up equity.
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