Ever wonder what was behind the creation of Rally Bus, the “crowdpowered travel” business that transports people to and from big events so all the people have to do is enjoy each other and the event, and not hassle with the driving? Hear it straight from the CEO’s mouth, when Numaan Akram, co-founder of Rally Bus speaks at Catawba College’s Ketner School of Business CEO Lectureat 11 a.m. Thursday, November 9 in Tom Smith Auditorium on campus. The event is free and open to the campus and Salisbury-Rowan community.
Rally Bus was founded in March of 2015, after Akram and his co-founder Siheung Song came up with the concept of “crowdpowered travel,” now a trademarked phrase that combined crowdsourcing and event travel. The two had coordinated a political rally in Washington, D.C., and after it they became committed to the mantra that “travel is better together” -- “better for the community, the economy, and the planet” and because “it just makes sense”.
The New York City-based entrepreneurs developed applications and technology integration for the rider, and bus driver, and the operator. Their technology connected riders with other riders going to the same event or destination, then it delivered high-end buses to get those riders there and back. Riders could choose from preset trips or set up their own, then share their trip, invite friends, relax and ride. Check in for riders was simple too -- using a kiosk on the bus.
To date, Rally Bus’s website touts that it has had 644,606 seats reserved and traveled to 3,255 cities. Exclusive partnerships with Major League Baseball, the New York Cosmos, NASCAR, NFL and NBA teams, as well as event and ticketing partners has help grow the business. A keen concentration on the Rally Bus company website, focusing on search engine optimization, also helped make sure that the company was almost always found near the top of search results.
Come be inspired to pursue your own entrepreneurial idea by attending this year’s CEO Lecture with Numaan Akram of Rally Bus, presented by Catawba College’s Ketner School of Business.
