Electric intercity bus startup Fresh Bus has raised Rs 87.5 crore ($10.5 million) in Series A funding round led by international early-stage transportation-focused VC fund Maniv, with participation from Shell Ventures, Alteria Capital, and existing investor Riverwalk Holdings.

Fresh Bus will utilize the new funds to add 15 routes and deploy 150 new electric buses, the firm said in a press release. Besides scaling ops, the funds will also be deployed towards raising technological capabilities, and strengthening its team.

Fresh Bus was previously backed by notable industry leaders such as CRED founder Kunal Shah, TVS Motors MD Sudarshan Venu, and Rivigo CEO Deepak Garg. Earlier, the firm also secured Rs 16 crore ($2 million) from public company ixigo.

FreshBus, which offers ticketing, real-time tracking of buses, loyalty program, among other services, was founded by Sudhakar Reddy Chirra. Chirra had built bus aggregator Abhibus which was acquired by ixigo in August 2021 in a cash and stock deal.

FreshBus was a pre-revenue stage firm with a loss of Rs 2.1 crore during FY23. The company is yet to file its annual financial results for FY24.

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