Alumni Venture: Chakraview Solutions – Rajesh Bhura, PGP 2001

Chakraview Solutions, born out of a collective parental concern, began its transformative journey in 2015, sparked by the founder’s personal mission to enhance the safety of children during school bus commutes. Tackling issues like inconsistent schedules and fragmented information, the platform offers real-time tracking, communication tools, and attendance monitoring. Noteworthy features such as Google Maps tracking, notifications, two-way communication, and QR code attendance marking have earned Chakraview acclaim as the “Best Parent App for School Bus Tracking.” Currently serving 75 schools and 50,000 students, the founders attribute their success to aligning the platform’s mission with the fundamental needs of parents, schools, and bus operators. Future plans include onboarding 150 schools by June 2024, expanding into key markets, and enhancing features to address evolving challenges. Chakraview’s journey imparts vital entrepreneurial lessons, emphasizing that a commitment to addressing people’s pain points can lead to unparalleled growth and innovation in unexplored markets.

In dialogue with Founders Rajesh Bhura and Jaya Bhura of Chakraview Solutions, they provide profound insights into the groundbreaking venture that has revolutionized the landscape of school bus safety.

What inspired the founding of Chakraview Solutions, and could you share the personal experiences that led to the inception of this transformative venture revolutionizing school bus safety?

Chakraview Solutions was born out of our struggle with the unpredictable schedules of our children’s school bus, leaving me anxious about their safety. The complexity heightened as bus operators frequently swapped buses, combined routes, and changed staff, with no centralized point of contact for bus location details.

In such instances, reaching out to the school for specific bus information proved futile, as they, too, relied on tracking via school bus operators. This daily turmoil is a shared experience for many parents—feeling anxious, frustrated, and helpless.

Driven by the need to address this widespread issue, we decided to create a solution not only for ourself but also for millions of parents facing similar challenges. Leveraging the advancements in technology across sectors, we envisioned Chakraview in 2015.

The app operates on three fundamental principles. Firstly, it utilizes robust internet connectivity, enabling parents to track the bus’s real-time location. Secondly, each bus is equipped with a dedicated device, establishing a single point of contact between parents and bus staff via the app. This eliminates the need for parents to make frantic calls to numerous people for bus location details. Finally, the app incorporates an attendance monitoring system, providing parents assurance that their child has safely boarded or alighted. Chakraview’s holistic approach caters to both parental and vendor needs, offering a comprehensive solution to the challenges of school bus safety.

How has Chakraview transformed the school bus experience for parents, schools, and bus operators, and what key features contribute to its comprehensive solution for addressing challenges in real-time tracking and communication?

Chakraview stands as an advanced platform designed to streamline tracking and communication for school buses. This user-friendly app effectively tackles numerous challenges faced by schools, parents, bus contractors, and attendants. Offering real-time bus tracking on Google Maps, the app ensures parents and schools stay informed. Daily alerts and event-based notifications, including attendance alerts for boarding/alighting, and alerts for the bus reaching the stop, enhance parent communication. Enabling direct two-way Voice and WhatsApp calling between parents and bus attendants facilitates seamless communication. Additionally, the app simplifies attendance marking through manual checkboxes or QR code swiping on the child’s ID card.

Beyond tracking and communication, the app serves as a comprehensive solution. Parents can conveniently pay school bus fees through the platform. It aids bus operators in route planning and optimization, as well as in organizing student databases and reconciling fee collections. By addressing various loopholes in the system, Chakraview emerges as a holistic and efficient solution for enhancing the overall school bus experience.

How does Chakraview maintain ongoing interactions with bus operators and schools, and what measures are taken to ensure the app remains equipped with new features addressing evolving challenges for parents, bus operators, and schools?

We maintain continuous communication with bus operators and schools, providing detailed insights into the app’s features to ensure a smooth and secure commute for school kids. Our commitment extends beyond the initial introduction, as we consistently upgrade and update our app with innovative features. This proactive approach allows us to effectively address evolving challenges faced by parents, bus operators, and schools, ensuring that Chakraview remains a comprehensive and reliable solution for the entire school bus ecosystem.

Achieving the title of the “Best Parent App For School Bus Tracking” is indeed a remarkable accomplishment. What factors, in your opinion, played a crucial role in earning this recognition?

This achievement is a testament to the very essence with which Chakraview was founded. Presently, we have garnered the trust and satisfaction of over 100,000 parents, providing them with a stress-free assurance about their children’s safe commuting between home and school. Additionally, more than 70 schools have successfully eliminated bus-related concerns from their list of issues, and numerous bus operators now experience smooth, hassle-free operations for their entire fleet. It is this collective impact on parents, schools, and bus operators that has led to our notable recognition.

How do you envision expanding in the future?

Presently, we have successful partnerships with over 70 schools in Mumbai, Pune, and Ahmedabad. In the coming year, our strategy involves a deeper penetration into the Pune and Ahmedabad markets. Additionally, we are keen on exploring the Jaipur market, recognizing its substantial potential. Engaging in discussions with various schools, we are optimistic about realizing our target through effective collaborations and expansion efforts.

How does Chakraview approach market penetration, particularly in diverse educational frameworks and regions?

Chakraview recognizes the increasing demand for robust bus tracking solutions in various educational settings. While basic GPS tracking systems are commonplace, our app goes beyond, addressing the specific needs of parents and schools. As we expand, we continuously refine the app based on the insights gained from interacting with new schools and bus operators.

Understanding the distinct challenges faced by each educational institution, we tailor our product to offer diverse features. For example, we provide options such as attendance marking through child’s ID card scanning or manual checkboxes, ensuring flexibility to meet the unique requirements of each school. This approach allows us to provide a customized and comprehensive solution, contributing to the widespread adoption of Chakraview across different educational frameworks and regions.

What lessons or insights have you gained from leading Chakraview that you’d like to share with aspiring entrepreneurs?

Recognizing and addressing the pain points of individuals forms the cornerstone of a startup’s success. By delving into the challenges that people face, entrepreneurs can unlock a plethora of untapped opportunities within the market. These challenges, often overlooked or unaddressed, present fertile ground for innovation. Aspiring entrepreneurs should hone their ability to identify these latent issues and strive to provide creative and effective solutions. This proactive approach not only meets the immediate needs of the audience but also positions the startup on a trajectory of sustainable growth. By aligning their endeavors with solving real-world problems, entrepreneurs can not only create value but also carve a niche for themselves in a competitive landscape. Ultimately, the key lies in perceiving challenges not as obstacles but as gateways to innovation and success.