Bookme

Bookme.pk operates as a prominent e-ticketing platform in Pakistan, providing a centralized online portal for a variety of booking services. Launched in 2014 by Faizan Aslam, the company emerged from his personal frustration with the inefficiencies of manual ticket purchasing. Aslam, who has a background in software engineering and prior entrepreneurial experience with a software company, identified a market need for a digital ticketing solution after a disappointing attempt to buy movie tickets. This experience, coupled with his frequent bus travel, highlighted a similar problem in both the cinema and transport sectors, leading to the creation of Bookme.

The company has established itself by digitizing Pakistan's traditionally paper-based travel and entertainment industries. Its core business revolves around providing an online marketplace for consumers to book tickets for intercity buses, domestic and international flights, movies, hotels, and various events. The platform's revenue model is primarily commission-based, charging service providers a fee for each ticket sold through its system. Bookme addresses the market by creating a plug-and-play distribution system that integrates the reservation systems of its partners, which include major bus companies like Daewoo Express and Skyways, airlines, and cinemas.

Bookme's platform is accessible via its website and mobile applications, designed to offer a user-friendly experience for browsing schedules, selecting seats, and completing cashless transactions. A key aspect of its strategy involves API integrations with banks and mobile wallets, which expands its reach to millions of customers and facilitates a high volume of digital transactions. This network of API partners allows users of other apps to access Bookme's services directly, with Bookme sharing a percentage of the margin. The company has also ventured into offering 'Buy Now, Pay Later' (BNPL) services by leveraging customer data. Significant milestones include securing a partnership with the Pakistan Cricket Board for exclusive digital ticketing rights until 2023 and raising $7.5 million in a Series A funding round in December 2021 to fuel market expansion, including plans for Myanmar and a cargo delivery service.

Keywords: e-ticketing platform, online booking, Pakistan travel, bus tickets, flight booking, cinema tickets, event ticketing, digital payments, travel technology, Faizan Aslam, API integration, cashless platform, transportation booking, online travel agency, Pakistan startups, hotel booking, cricket tickets, mobile ticketing, travel marketplace, digital distribution