A Manchester travel start up has announced it has grown ‘exponentially’ despite a global downturn in travel caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
TapTrip, an online travel management company established in 2018 by Neil Ruth, Thomas Young and Jack Timblin, has grown from six to 20 people since March.
The company, which aims to “make enforcing travel policies, expense tracking and managing best value business travel as easy as using Netflix”, has also opened new offices in London and Romania.
TapTrip said it has raised £2.7m In two years from investors including Barclays, Techstars, Startup Funding Club and travel firms - including easyJet and ATPI.
Neil Ruth, chief operating officer at TapTrip, said the company is growing despite ‘recent challenges’ because “we’re offering smart efficient solutions for businesses that just make sense – a better service that costs less”.
He said: “Our pipeline of travel management companies has grown rapidly as many have realised that the online model we use for travel is far more defensible against future challenges we may face.
“The travel industry is struggling, so we adapted our service offering to help keep the industry moving, we integrated a live chat functionality into TapTrip, allowing for the human touch through tech, which is needed at a time of such uncertainty.”
TapTrip’s partners are able to use the platform to offer clients - including SMEs - a cloud-based online booking tool, the aim to increase customer service, satisfaction and employee acquisition and retention, it said.
In September, TapTrip recruited three new developers to join their team, including two who were hired through its partnership with Northcoders, the coding bootcamp for the North.
Josh Gray, head of DevAccelerator at Northcoders, said: “We are delighted to be working in partnership with TapTrip, a company which takes so much pride in showcasing some the best talent we have within the UK tech sector and despite the troubles we are all facing as a result of Covid-19, it’s great to see a company like TapTrip continuing to grow and provide opportunities within this sector.”
