From Idea to App Store: Choo-Choo Launches in 12 Weeks (with DBBS Pre-Built Solutions)

We’re excited to share that our client Choo-Choo, a UK-based rail-ticketing startup, has officially launched their mobile app on the App Store and Google Play. When the founders first approached us, they had only an idea and a sketch of a logo on a napkin. In just 12 weeks, we helped them turn that concept into a production-ready product.

Choo-Choo set out to make train travel simple, transparent, and affordable. With split fares, delay refunds, and no hidden fees, the app is designed to be a modern alternative to outdated platforms like Trainline.

Making Rail Travel Simple, Transparent, and Affordable

Turning a napkin sketch into a live product is no small feat. The Choo-Choo founders faced a big challenge: deliver a mobile-first MVP in record time without ballooning the team or budget.  Instead of starting from scratch, they chose to work with us and our DBBS Pre-Built Solutions — a set of ready-made modules we used for backend, mobile, and infrastructure.

Here’s what that looked like in practice:

• Backend in days, not weeks: Our CLI tool generated a NestJS API with logging, monitoring, and health checks already wired in. No DevOps bottlenecks, no manual AWS setup.

• Mobile app foundation in a day: Using Expo + DBBS components, the developers instantly had Firebase auth, localization, push notifications, in-app purchases, and UI components ready to go.

• Zero time wasted on boilerplate: Stripe, error tracking, and real-time alerts were integrated out of the box, so the team could dive straight into building Choo-Choo’s unique features like the delay-repay wizard and split-fare calculator.

Instead of burning weeks on scaffolding, the product team was already testing booking flows and reviewing UI designs while the engineers finished setup.

How Choo-Choo’s Founders Delivered More With Less

By choosing DBBS Pre-Built Solutions, Choo-Choo was able to:

• Launch faster than expected — the MVP was live across iOS and Android in 12 weeks, hitting the market window they were aiming for.

• Stay lean — the whole core product was built by just one backend engineer and one mobile engineer, proving you don’t need a huge team to move fast.

• Show real traction to potential partners — instead of wireframes or pitch decks, the founders demonstrated a working product with Stripe checkout, live rail data, and instant refunds. That helped them sign Raileasy as an early partner.

• Think ahead — the flexible architecture allows them to expand into other transport services without rewriting their foundations.

For the founders, the biggest win was focus. They didn’t have to get bogged down in DevOps, pipelines, or backend routing. Instead, they spent their energy where it mattered most — testing the user experience, refining features, and growing the business.

Want to Build Your Product as Fast as Choo Choo Did?

Book a call with our Business Development Advisor, Mina, to learn how DBB Software can deliver your product to the market faster than the competition.

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Choo-Choo’s Founder on Building the App With DBB Software

“We found DBB Software on Clutch and within 3 weeks they delivered a 50+ page technical document covering APIs, design, and user experience. Communication was really good, and they’ve been really helpful.”

“We set out a time frame of 12 weeks for the MVP and we hit that. DBB Software’s transparency and use of their pre-built solution cut down the build time. Their expertise has been fantastic — they’re fast learners and delivered an MVP in 12 weeks.” — Alfie Willis, co-founder of Choo Choo.

“I genuinely didn’t think we could do what we’ve done. The warmth and human part of the relationship was really important, and we had that with DBB all the way through. Everybody who’s seen the app says, ‘Wow, love it. It’s clean, it’s easy.’ You absolutely nailed it.” — Keith Willis, co-founder of Choo Choo.