Sleeper buses account for 86% of India's intercity travel, AC buses 72%

Hyderabad: Even as fire mishaps involving AC sleeper buses have made alarming headlines in recent days with the ghastly Kurnool tragedy of last year in which 19 passengers were burnt alive still fresh in public memory new data reveals that sleeper and hybrid buses accounted for 86 per cent of all intercity journeys across the country, while AC buses accounted for 72 per cent, reflecting sustained demand for comfort-led, long-distance travel.

The latest edition of the India BusTrack Report, released on Thursday by online bus ticketing platform redBus, analysed intercity bus travel trends across passengers, regions and private operators in India. It found that intercity buses carried 147.19 million passengers between October 2025 and March 2026, a 24 per cent increase in passenger volumes over the same period the previous year.

Gross ticketing value rose 20 per cent to Rs 142.16 billion, while the number of active private operators climbed to over 6,800, reflecting a widening operator base and deepening network across India's intercity routes. These figures pertain to all Indian private operators, not redBus alone.

Maharashtra and Goa led all states with the highest share of total seat bookings at 16 per cent, followed by Tamil Nadu including Puducherry at 14 per cent. Andhra Pradesh and Telangana together, along with Karnataka, each contributed 11per cent. Pan-India bus occupancy stood at 77 per cent, with Andhra Pradesh and Telangana recording an above-average occupancy of 83 per cent.

Young travellers dominated bookings, with the 18–36 age group accounting for 69 per cent of passengers a cohort that includes a growing contribution from Gen Zs. Male passengers comprised 66 per cent of travellers. Smaller cities and towns continued to drive digital bus ticketing, with 62 per cent of journeys originating outside major metros.

Within the two Telugu states, intra-regional travel connecting Hyderabad, Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam, Tirupati and Guntur accounts for 69 per cent of total travel, while inter-regional routes to Bengaluru, Chennai, Pune, Mumbai and Bhubaneswar contribute the remaining 31 per cent. The average ticket price in this region is Rs 1,016, higher than the national average of Rs 966, and bus occupancy remains the highest in the country at 83 per cent.

"This edition of India BusTrack covers the second half of the last financial year, from October 1, 2025 to March 31, 2026. During this period, the intercity bus market grew by 24 per cent in terms of passengers, compared to the same period last year. Digitisation has been rapid, and the active bus operator count has risen to 6,858. Due to the digitisation of many short-route services, the average seat price has dipped 3 per cent to Rs 966. The industry recorded a healthy 77 per cent occupancy during this period," said redBus CEO Prakash Sangam.

He added that this edition's spotlight on Andhra Pradesh and Telangana highlights two robust markets that have strongly driven India's intercity bus industry. Both states have consistently posted above-national occupancy of around 83 per cent since the second half of 2025, alongside a higher average seat price of Rs 1,016 — signalling strong customer demand and significant opportunity for operators looking to expand in the region.

The report's calculations pertain to the full intercity bus market, estimated and derived from the redBus database. Factors including blocked seats, offline seats and service inclusions have been accounted for to ensure data integrity, said redbus team.