Key Takeaways
TL;DR
Sangitam Travels, a Maharashtra bus operator, replaced physical cash with CashBook's UPI wallets, removing cash theft risks while giving drivers instant access to funds on every route
Live expense tracking ended reconciliation problems for this fleet business, enabling same-day monitoring of fuel, tolls, and repairs instead of waiting until month-end
Transport companies gained full control with proper vendor tracking and verified digital wallets, removing the money tracking gaps that come with cash-based operations
Better cash management through smart funding cycles freed up money previously stuck with drivers, turning finance teams from cash handlers into business partners
Route-wise spending insights revealed hidden cost patterns by driver, time, and location, helping Sangitam Travels negotiate better fuel rates and optimize maintenance scheduling for smarter business decisions
About Company
About Sangitam Travels
Sangitam Travels Pvt. Ltd. is one of the most trusted and respected names in Maharashtra’s private transportation sector. Founded in 1983 by Mr. Vinod Patil in Jalgaon and now headquartered in Pune, the company has been connecting people and places for over four decades. With a modern AC sleeper fleet operating across Maharashtra and neighbouring states, Sangitam Travels continues to set benchmarks in safe, comfortable, and reliable travel driven by a vision to connect passengers across PAN India.
As a key player in India’s regional mobility ecosystem, the company stands at the intersection of operational excellence, community connectivity, and economic growth.
Here’s what makes Sangitam Travels truly unique:
Fleet-driven service delivery across multiple routes connecting passengers to business hubs, educational centers, and residential communities throughout Maharashtra
Distributed workforce management including drivers, conductors, and depot supervisors operating across geographically dispersed locations with minimal centralized oversight
High-frequency operational expenses requiring constant on-ground spending for fuel, tolls, minor vehicle maintenance, permits, and staff allowances
Granular transaction environment where expenses occur in small, frequent bursts rather than large consolidated purchases, making traditional accounting challenging
Community-critical operations where service reliability depends on the ability to respond instantly to on-road needs without cash flow bottlenecks
The public transport sector in India operates in a uniquely cash-intensive environment where drivers need immediate access to operational funds, yet companies require tight financial controls to maintain profitability and compliance. This tension between operational flexibility and financial oversight creates fundamental challenges that traditional petty cash systems struggle to resolve.
Challenges
The Cash Management Problem
Before implementing CashBook, Sangitam Travels was already managing a large and dynamic transportation network with precision and dedication. However, as operations expanded and fleets grew, the limitations of traditional, manual financial processes became more apparent. Managing cash flow across dozens of routes, depots, and drivers required constant coordination in an environment where buses are always on the move and operational needs can arise without notice.
While the company maintained strong controls and oversight, the manual nature of record-keeping and cash handling meant valuable time and effort were often spent on reconciliation, approvals, and communication between field teams and finance. Balancing real-time responsiveness with financial accuracy became increasingly complex, especially as the scale of operations continued to rise.
In short, Sangitam Travels was not struggling. It was evolving and needed a smarter, more agile financial system that could keep pace with its growing network and commitment to operational excellence.
These challenges were not just operational inconveniences. They carried real financial implications. Limited visibility into daily spending made treasury operations reactive rather than strategic. This led to either idle funds or last-minute allocations that strained both field operations and finance. Sangitam Travels needed a smarter approach, one that preserved the speed and flexibility drivers required while giving finance the control and transparency of a modern system.
Solutions
How CashBook Transformed Operations
CashBook provided Sangitam Travels with a comprehensive digital infrastructure that fundamentally redesigned how operational funds flowed through their fleet. Rather than simply digitizing existing cash processes, the implementation created an entirely new financial architecture built specifically for the realities of mobile fleet management. The solution recognized that drivers aren't office employees working from desks, they're mobile professionals who need instant access to funds while operating in environments where traditional corporate payment systems don't function.
The transformation centered on replacing physical cash with individual UPI wallets, each tied to specific drivers, conductors, or depot managers through complete KYC verification. This wasn't just about technology adoption; it required rethinking approval workflows, reimbursement cycles, and treasury management practices. CashBook became the digital nervous system connecting field operations to finance headquarters, ensuring every rupee spent was instantly visible, properly categorized, and audit-ready without slowing down the operational tempo that bus services demand.
The implementation didn't just digitize payments, it created intelligence. Finance teams could now see spending patterns by route, by driver, by time of day, and by expense category. This granular visibility revealed optimization opportunities that were completely hidden under cash-based systems. More importantly, it shifted the finance function from reactive reconciliation to proactive cash management, where treasury could predict requirements, optimize working capital, and identify cost-saving opportunities rather than simply chasing receipts at month-end.
Impact
Results That Matter
The introduction of CashBook brought a new level of ease and clarity to Sangitam Travels’ financial operations. By moving from physical cash to digital wallets, the company experienced immediate improvements in efficiency, transparency, and compliance. Tasks that once took hours could now be completed in moments, freeing up the team to focus on more strategic work and making life a little easier for drivers and depot managers along the way.
Beyond operational benefits, the platform also unlocked new insights. With detailed spending data at their fingertips, finance teams could spot patterns in route costs, peak spending times, and vendor pricing. This enabled smarter discussions with fuel suppliers, better planning for maintenance, and more precise scheduling of cash top-ups. In short, CashBook did not just streamline everyday tasks. It helped Sangitam Travels see opportunities and make decisions with confidence, turning financial management into a strategic advantage.
The benefits went beyond day-to-day efficiency to smarter use of capital. By keeping minimal cash on hand and adopting just-in-time funding cycles, Sangitam Travels was able to free up working capital that had previously been tied up in distributed petty cash. In effect, the company created its own working capital boost without borrowing, simply by optimizing how funds flowed through operations. This approach turned treasury from a traditional cash-handling function into a strategic driver of capital efficiency, adding measurable value to the business.
Industry Application
Who Else Can Benefit
The Sangitam Travels implementation offers a blueprint for transformation across the broader transportation and logistics ecosystem.
The transportation industry is moving toward digital-first operations, where transparency and operational agility complement each other. CashBook has shown that even well-established, cash-based businesses can enhance their financial processes without disrupting the high standards of service they are known for. For Sangitam Travels, adopting UPI wallets was more than a technology upgrade. It became a platform for building an even more transparent, efficient, and scalable operation, ensuring the company continues to deliver excellence while adapting to a competitive and increasingly regulated market.
Ready to modernize how your fleet handles expenses?
If you are a travel or logistics operator looking to reduce cash risks, gain real-time visibility, and free up working capital, CashBook can help you do exactly what Sangitam Travels achieved without disrupting your existing operations.
Get in touch with the CashBook team to see how UPI wallets and digital petty cash can fit into your business, or book a quick demo to explore how to bring the same transparency and control to your own fleet.
