Social media and rating sites have already raised expectations around accommodation, tourist sites and restaurants, but travel routes too could soon be under the spotlight, writes LP Maurice, CEO and co-founder of coach travel booking platform, Busbud

The biggest innovations in travel so far have been concentrated on flights. But with some people thinking more about their carbon footprint, others the high cost of flying and annoying security checks, or for those just simply trying to escape the madding crowd, this is rapidly changing. The result is that consumers are ever more willing to consider alternative routes and trains and coaches, not to mention car-sharing - are fast becoming part of the travel tech revolution. Unsurprisingly, travel tech companies have embarked on an arms race to provide the best and most relevant information, comparisons and booking options.

Some have sought to go down the multi-mode travel route, attempting to provide data on planes, trains and coaches in one search. The sheer volume of different train and coaches companies operating in this space makes it a Herculean task to collect enough information to create complete searches. Other startups – and at Busbud we’re one of them - have chosen to focus on one method of travel, with the aim of providing the most complete set of travel and price information to consumers.

Yes, we’re focused on the consumer, and have moved quickly to provide the scheduling information and booking options for close to 1,500 coach companies for over 10,000 cities in 89 countries.

I believe that as the number of train and coach companies partnered with travel tech start ups grows, consumers will soon always plan their travel door-to-door. Competition between different modes of travel will also increase, as planes will now compete with the convenience and reach of coaches and trains. In the long run, this could lead to improved services and lower prices on all modes of transportation.

Making the world more accessible

Now could be the time for some of those lesser-known destinations to make their voice heard because another consequence will be a diversification of travel destinations. Currently, the majority of holidaymakers stay in and around major airports. By making it easier to access a different array of travel routes provided by coaches or trains, quality holiday destinations that are poorly served by airlines will start to come into their own. After all, there is a whole world of beautiful locations that tourists currently avoid because they are difficult to get to. The added bonus is that these destinations are often cheaper and quieter than their touristy counterparts.

With travel becoming more granular and increasingly arranged via smartphones and mobile apps, the door is also opened to a wealth of innovative travel services. In the future, the norm will be for travel search engines and booking platforms to leverage a GPS and provide tailored travel routes and offers based on current location.

Social media and rating sites like TripAdvisor have already raised expectations about what travellers can expect from accommodation, tourist sites and restaurants. Soon, travel routes will come under the same level of scrutiny and it will influence how consumers choose their means of travel. Currently, price and travel time are dominant factors, but other aspects like WiFi availability, the views from the coach or train and on-board customer service, will play a bigger role.

Consumers across the board expect more from businesses than they did five to ten years ago. The fact that travellers have access to more information and are able to make better-informed choices has led to rapid growth in innovation that touches every industry sector. Travel is no exception.

Trains and coaches are experiencing what planes and hotels have gone through in the last decade. The companies that will be successful in this space over the next decade will be the ones that embrace this change by providing more details and better services to consumers.

This guest column was submitted by LP Maurice, CEO and co-founder of coach travel booking platform Busbud