Reyasat Chowdhury

About Reyasat Chowdhury

Reyasat Chowdhury is the Co-Founder and President of Shuttle, a mobility-tech company built around a simple, overlooked problem: safe, affordable daily commuting for middle-income riders in Dhaka, particularly women. As The Business Standard has described, the service lets riders pay for a seat rather than an entire car.

From Robi to a Startup Idea

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.

Starting With Women-Only Rides

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.

Building at Scale

Under 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.

Global Recognition

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.

Stepping Into a New Role

In May 2024, Chowdhury stepped down as CEO of Shuttle, handing the role to Hesham Rajmi, and moved into the role of President. That transition, after six years running the company day-to-day, positioned him to focus on strategic direction and external partnerships while a new CEO took over daily operations.