Brands
Cityflo adds 100 custom-built Eicher Buses to expand routes and improve commutes
MUMBAI: Cityflo, is accelerating its expansion with 100 new custom-built buses developed in collaboration with Volvo Eicher Commercial Vehicles (VECV). These additions will enable quicker route expansion, reduced travel times, and greater operational flexibility.
Cityflo’s new 27-seater buses are set to transform urban transit by allowing for faster route launches and higher service frequency. Their compact design ensures quicker occupancy, making it easier to scale operations in high-demand areas.
“One of the biggest constraints in launching new routes is ensuring optimal occupancy from day one. These buses allow us to do just that—by reaching full capacity faster, we can launch and sustain more routes across the city at an accelerated pace,” said Cityflo founder & CEO Jerin Venad. “There is significant demand for smaller, high-frequency routes which connect business districts efficiently without unnecessary detours.”
With Mumbai’s traffic congestion worsening due to nearly 5 million registered vehicles, Cityflo’s new fleet is designed to navigate crowded streets with greater efficiency.
“In a city where professionals often spend over an hour commuting one way, the introduction of these buses can help reduce the load on the roads,” said Venad. “These 27-seater vehicles are designed for swift navigation through Mumbai’s congested streets, enabling us to reduce journey times by up to 13 per cent. This means customers not only get a service that’s comparable to their own vehicle but also allows them to reach the office faster.”
The fleet expansion also supports increased service during non-peak hours, catering to professionals with flexible schedules and improving last-mile connectivity. The smaller format allows for better scheduling, ensuring consistent service throughout the day.
Cityflo’s collaboration with Eicher aligns with its vision of transforming daily travel in India.
“Urban mobility is evolving, and Cityflo is pioneering a commuter-first approach that balances comfort, speed, and efficiency,” said Venad.
VECV executive vice president bus division Suresh Chettiar added, “We take pride in engineering passenger-friendly vehicles that not only deliver superior value to operators but are also engineered for the changing dynamics of modern cities. This collaboration with Cityflo marks an important milestone in Eicher Trucks and Buses’ journey of creating smarter, more sustainable transit options.”
With India set to add over one million new buses in the next decade, Cityflo’s expansion strengthens its position in tackling urban transport challenges. The company plans to deploy 500 buses across five metro cities by 2026, enhancing business district connectivity nationwide.
Currently, Cityflo helps replace approximately 800,000 car trips annually, cutting carbon emissions by over 27,422 tonnes each year. With its latest fleet expansion, the company is poised to make daily commutes smarter, faster, and more efficient across the country.
Brands
Faber-Castell India appoints Sunaina Haldar as director – marketing
With stints at Tata, SleepyCat and ADF Foods under her belt, Haldar is primed to redraw Faber-Castell’s brand story
MUMBAI: Faber-Castell India has poached Sunaina Haldar from ADF Foods, appointing her director – marketing as the German stationery brand looks to muscle up in a category that is rapidly reinventing itself around creativity and self-expression.
Haldar hit the ground running. “My first couple of weeks have been incredibly energising, understanding consumers, visiting markets, engaging with retailers and immersing myself into the world of Faber-Castell Group,” she said.
She arrives with considerable firepower. At ADF Foods, Haldar ran marketing across India and international markets for a portfolio spanning Ashoka, Aeroplane, Camel and ADF Soul. Before that, she was vice-president – marketing at direct-to-consumer mattress brand SleepyCat, where she helmed brand, content and performance marketing. Her résumé also includes a stint leading marketing, new product development and CRM for Tata SmartFoodz at Tata Consumer Products, no small proving ground.
Between corporate roles, Haldar also operated as a fractional CMO for early-stage startups, building marketing strategy and operational structures from scratch, a signal that she knows how to move fast with limited resources.
With 18 years straddling FMCG, D2C and the startup world, Haldar now takes the reins at a brand that has long owned the classroom but is clearly hungry for the living room. In a stationery market where the pencil has become a lifestyle statement, Faber-Castell has picked someone who knows exactly how to sell that story.
