Online ticketing could help boost investment in higher-end, greener bus fleets, says Redbus investor Parag Dhol of Inventus Capital, who estimates India's bus market is growing 25% per year. "The stigma is, you only ride a bus if you can't own a car," says Zielinski, "but better-quality buses can make alternative forms of travel sexier even to car owners." Since adopting Redbus' reservation system last year, Goa's state-owned bus operator has increased profits and rolled out snazzier Mercedes-Benz and Volvos featuring softer seats and smoother rides. Volvo is increasing coach production in India fivefold to 5,000 per year. Indian busmaker Ashok Leyland has teamed up with plasticsmaker Saertex India to make 500 lighter-weight buses. Dhol calls Redbus the center of "a new ecosystem," one that hopefully will help India avoid a Malthusian traffic jam.
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