Getting around Asia
You enjoy the trip.
Ezra gets you there.
Tell Ezra on WhatsApp where you're headed. Public transport shows up right away, with a link to book. When a driver makes more sense, Ezra texts a few local drivers from your WhatsApp, in their own language, and haggles with all of them. When it's done you get the best offers it landed. Reply with a number and it's booked.
Ezra finds buses, trains and ferries in Vietnam, Thailand, India, Cambodia, Laos, the Philippines, Sri Lanka and Nepal. Local drivers are in Vietnam and Thailand for now. It all happens in the WhatsApp you already have, no extra app.
How it works
No forms, no app. You chat with Ezra the way you'd text a friend who's already done the trip.
Say where you're going
From where, to where, when, and how many of you. Your own words, in English or Hebrew. If something's missing, Ezra asks.
Ezra haggles for you
Public transport from the booking sites comes right away. Meanwhile in Vietnam and Thailand, it texts 5 local drivers from your WhatsApp, in plain English with a line in the local language, and haggles with all of them at once. Not enough offers? It asks a few more drivers. You can watch every chat on your phone.
You get the best price it found
Once the haggling's done, Ezra sends one message with the best offers. How long that takes depends on when you ride:
Riding today30 min at mostTomorrowwithin the hourLater onup to 1.5 hoursDrivers are asleep at night, so Ezra writes to them at 6 in the morning.
Reply with a number, you're booked
Ezra confirms with the driver and sends you one message with everything in it: time, pickup, price, the driver's name and phone. You pay the driver in cash.
We built Ezra on our honeymoon. Da Lat to Mui Ne cost us 1,400,000 ₫. The booking sites wanted 1,816,000 for the same ride.
Questions people ask
Why does Ezra text drivers from my WhatsApp?
Because then the driver gets a message from a regular traveler, not from one more business number flooding him with requests. You see every chat on your phone, and the driver's number stays with you after the ride.
Does Ezra read my WhatsApp?
No. It reads two kinds of chats: the ones it opened with drivers for you, and your chat with Ezra. Everything else is dropped the moment it reaches our server, unread and unsaved. Message content is deleted after 14 days, and you can cut the connection any time by writing "disconnect". Privacy policy
Could this get my number flagged?
WhatsApp watches numbers that message lots of strangers, so we keep it tight: one driver search at a time, 3 a day at most, and a driver who didn't answer never gets a reminder. Public transport searches send nothing from your number, so they don't touch it at all.
What if the driver doesn't show up?
You pay the driver in cash, no deposit, so your money isn't on the line. You have his name and number, and if something goes wrong you write to Ezra and it finds you another way: public transport right away, or a different driver.