Expedia, a travel portal, today said it has joined hands with bus ticketing firm redBus to offer tickets to Indian customers.

“In its pursuit to offer a localised and complete travel booking solution to the Indian consumer, Expedia today announced the addition of bus tickets to its existing range of services for their customers,” Expedia said in a statement.

Expedia will launch an introductory offer of a discount of Rs 500 on bus tickets with every hotel that is booked, it added.

The association with redBus will make Expedia as a “one stop shop” for travel planning, the statement said.

Commenting on the tie-up, Expedia India Country’s Head Vikram Malhi said: “In our endeavour to create a holistic offering for our customers, who prefer to travel by road, we have introduced this new service in our portfolio. With this tie-up, we are aiming to strengthen our domestic and inbound travel solution for an enhanced experience.”

With an increasing number of travellers taking to short weekend getaways, the demand for bus services have risen over the last few years, he added.

This partnership will provide Expedia an access to bus seat inventory across over 1.8 lakh bus services by 900 operators across the country.

Expedia further said bus travel has been growing at 25 per cent rate every year.