An interview with Reeva Sakaria, Co-founder of Yatri – the official app for Central and Western Railways that’s quietly revolutionizing Mumbai’s local train commute.
In an insightful interview with Reeva Sakaria, Co-founder of Yatri, we explore her vision for transforming India’s mobility landscape. Her passion for innovation and commitment to sustainable travel are reshaping how we navigate urban spaces.
Can you tell us about the inspiration behind Yatri and how the idea came to fruition?
Reeva Sakaria: Yatri was founded by my two co-founders, both of whom come from CDP India — a 33-year-old IT infrastructure and software solutions company that had been working with Indian Railways for years. One of them has always been driven by a deep sense of public problem-solving.
During a discussion with railway officials, they flagged a recurring issue: there was no official way for commuters to know where their train actually was. With over 8 million daily riders on Mumbai’s local trains and 3,000+ train trips a day, this was a massive gap in the system.
That conversation sparked the idea — to build a trusted, official source of real-time information for suburban train commuters.
We developed custom GPS devices tailored to railway requirements, installed them in every rake, and launched Yatri as the first app offering live train location backed by the railway divisions themselves. What started as a hyperlocal solution has now evolved into a national vision for mobility.
What specific challenges did you face when developing the Yatri app, and how did you overcome them?
Reeva Sakaria: Like most startups, we’ve faced our fair share of challenges — from infrastructure to adoption. One of the biggest early hurdles was developing our own custom GPS hardware.
Off-the-shelf solutions didn’t meet railway safety and data requirements, so we had to build, test, and iterate until we got it right.
Another big challenge was trust. In Mumbai, where a legacy train app had existed for over a decade, getting commuters to switch to a new platform took time.
But once people saw the accuracy of our live train tracking and experienced how seamless it felt, adoption started growing organically.
Can you explain some of the key features of the Yatri app that set it apart from other apps?
Reeva Sakaria: One of our biggest differentiators is that Yatri is the official app for Central and Western Railways — which allows us to provide live train location data directly from GPS devices installed in local trains. No crowd-sourced guesses — just real-time, accurate movement.
Beyond that, Yatri is one of the first apps in India to use GTFS (General Transit Feed Specification) to offer full multimodal journey planning.
Users can input their source and destination, and the app recommends the best public transport options — across trains, metro, and buses.
We’re also integrated with ONDC, allowing users to book metro and (soon) bus tickets directly in-app. We’re currently live in 6 cities and will scale to 25 by the end of the year — bringing a unified, ticketing-plus-tracking solution to cities across India.
How do you envision Yatri evolving in the next few years, especially with the growing population of Mumbai?
Reeva Sakaria: I see Yatri becoming India’s first true Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) platform at scale. Our goal is simple — whether you live in a city or are just visiting, you should only need one app to plan, navigate, and pay for your commute.
We want to bring real-time data and digital ticketing to every public mode of transport — local trains, metros, buses, and more — in every major Indian city.
This isn’t just about convenience; it’s about giving every commuter, regardless of their tech literacy or geography, reliable, accessible, and dignified transit.
How do you collaborate with local authorities and railway officials to ensure the app meets the needs of commuters?
Reeva Sakaria: We work very closely with public transport authorities. Yatri is officially partnered with the Central and Western divisions of Indian Railways, which gives us direct access to operational data.
Our team stays in constant touch with control rooms and on-ground staff to keep users updated on disruptions, delays, or changes in real time.
We’re also a Network Participant on ONDC — a Government of India initiative to open up digital infrastructure.
This allows us to integrate directly with metro and bus operators across cities and ensure that the user experience is seamless, verified, and scalable.
Can you discuss any future features or expansions you are planning for the Yatri app?
Reeva Sakaria: We’re working toward two major goals: pan-India expansion and unified ticketing + tracking.
We’ve seen how live GPS tracking transformed the commuter experience in Mumbai, and we’re actively replicating that success in other cities. Our integrations with metro and bus systems are growing fast — all powered through ONDC.
In the near future, users will be able to open Yatri in any supported city and get complete public transport info, real-time updates, and digital ticketing — all in one place. We’re also exploring gamification, smart nudges, and personalization to deepen user engagement.
What message do you want to convey to commuters who are still hesitant to adopt technology for their daily travel needs?
Reeva Sakaria: Don’t worry — this isn’t tech built just for the tech-savvy. Yatri is designed for everyone, whether you use a basic phone or a high-end device. The app is simple, intuitive, and built to solve real, everyday problems.
Whether you’re taking a local train, navigating the metro, figuring out which bus to catch, or just planning how to get from one part of the city to another — Yatri is here to make that process easier. No more switching between apps, no more confusion or guesswork.
If you’ve ever waited at a stop not knowing if your ride is delayed or struggled to figure out the best route — this is for you. It’s not about changing how you travel, it’s about giving you more clarity, confidence, and control every step of the way.
What advice would you give to aspiring entrepreneurs looking to create solutions for urban transportation challenges?
Reeva Sakaria: Solve from the commuter’s point of view — not the dashboard’s. The most important breakthroughs in mobility come when you understand what frustrates people on a daily basis, and build from there.
Also, don’t treat government systems as blockers — collaboration with public authorities is key. Some of our most powerful progress has come from working hand-in-hand with the railways and city agencies. When you show up with a solution that helps both users and the system, the support follows.
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In conclusion, Reeva’s journey with Yatri exemplifies the power of entrepreneurship in driving change. Explore Success story of Indian entrepreneurs & startups at SugerMint. Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn