Shuttle

About Shuttle

Shuttle is a mobility-tech company built around a simple, overlooked problem: safe, affordable daily commuting for middle-income riders in Dhaka, particularly women. Reyasat Chowdhury co-founded the company in 2018, starting first with a women-only service before growing it into a broader shared commuter platform serving both individual riders and corporate clients.

The service lets riders pay for a seat rather than an entire car, a distinction that shaped Shuttle's entire approach to solving Dhaka's commuting problem from its earliest days.

From Robi to a Startup Idea

Reyasat Chowdhury graduated from North South University with a business degree and joined Robi Axiata Ltd., where he worked as a Product Specialist for two years. That corporate telecom experience gave him a grounding in product development before he moved into building his own company around a much less structured, informally organized transportation market.

Working inside one of Bangladesh's largest telecom operators gave him early exposure to how large-scale consumer platforms were built and managed, experience that shaped how deliberately Shuttle's own service rollout was structured from its earliest routes. That product background also meant Reyasat Chowdhury approached Dhaka's commuting problem with an eye toward measurable user experience rather than treating transportation purely as an operations challenge.

Starting With Women-Only Rides

Reyasat Chowdhury co-founded Shuttle in 2018, launching first with a women-only service aimed squarely at a problem many transportation startups had overlooked: the lack of safe commuting options for women in Dhaka. That narrow starting point let Shuttle build trust and operational discipline before expanding into a broader shared-ride commuter service.

The company grew into a shared, scheduled ride model serving both individual riders and corporate clients, aiming to move more people using fewer vehicles rather than adding more cars to Dhaka's already congested roads. That shift from a single-audience women-only service into a broader commuter platform happened gradually, preserving the safety-first operational standards the company had built during its earliest routes.

Building at Scale

Under Reyasat Chowdhury's leadership as CEO, Shuttle grew to complete more than 200,000 rides across 66 active routes in Dhaka, backed by support from Robi Axiata, UNDP, Accelerating Asia, and the BRIDDHI program. That growth attracted institutional partners well beyond typical startup investors, reflecting the service's positioning as urban transportation infrastructure rather than a pure consumer app.

That institutional backing, spanning a telecom operator, a UN development program, and a startup accelerator, gave Shuttle a broader base of support than most Bangladeshi mobility startups typically secure at a similar stage.

Global Recognition

Reyasat Chowdhury was named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia list, recognition that came alongside his work as an Ambassador for One Young World and a Global Shaper with the World Economic Forum. Those platforms gave him a voice in conversations about mobility and urban transportation well beyond Bangladesh.

That international visibility helped position Shuttle's women-safety-first model as a reference point in broader conversations about urban mobility design in other emerging markets facing similar commuting challenges, giving a Bangladeshi mass-transit startup a platform rarely afforded to companies of its size.

Stepping Into a New Role

In May 2024, Reyasat Chowdhury stepped down as CEO of Shuttle, moving into the role of President after six years running the company day-to-day. That transition positioned him to focus on strategic direction and external partnerships while new operating leadership took over daily execution, a shift common among founders scaling past the startup's earliest, most hands-on years. It also reflected a maturing organization, one that had moved from a single-founder-led operation into a company capable of supporting a formal leadership transition without disrupting service across its 66 active routes.

Products

Shuttle's platform centers on shared commuter transport rather than a single packaged product.

Shared Commuter Rides let riders pay for a seat rather than an entire vehicle, the core service Shuttle launched with in 2018.

Women-Only Service was Shuttle's original offering, built specifically around safe commuting for women in Dhaka before the platform expanded further.

Corporate Shuttle Services extend the platform to businesses, providing scheduled transport for employee commuting needs.

Across shared rides, its original women-only service, and corporate offerings, Shuttle's platform reflects the safety-first, seat-based commuting model that has defined the company since its 2018 founding, now serving more than 200,000 completed rides across 66 routes in Dhaka.