Women Driving Growth in India's Intercity Bus Travel Market

By: WE Staff | Tuesday, 17 March 2026

• Women are emerging as a growth segment for India’s inter-city bus market
• The percentage of women passengers using buses has registered a growth of 136% from 2019 to 2025
• Women’s travel is redefining the movement of people across India

Women are also emerging as a segment of intercity bus travel that is growing at a rapid pace in India’s mobility landscape. This segment has significantly contributed to India’s mobility landscape.

In fact, between 2019 and 2025, there has been a 136 percent growth in women’s intercity bus travel, almost double the growth in overall passenger traffic, which has risen by 72 percent, as per a report titled ‘Pink Report’ published by redBus, an online bus ticketing platform.

The report states that women are not only traveling more frequently but also emerging as a growth driver in India’s bus transportation segment. In fact, women account for 33 percent of intercity bus passengers, which has risen from 23 percent in 2019.

The report is based on data obtained from the redBus platform between 2019 and 2025, which includes data on both private and government buses.

South India's women travel on buses has always been higher than other areas of India, but now that number is going up for women in all regions.

The woman's percentage of travelling has increased from 24 percent to 34 percent from 2019-2025 in South, 23 percent -31 percent in West, 21 percent -30 percent in East and 20 percent -28 percent in North.

Also new is the Women's Mobility Index which shows how much of each state's travellers are female as well as measuring the number of females who travel solo or make long distance trips (more than 500 km). According to this index, the five states are ranked for Women’s Bus Mobility is: Assam, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Punjab and Telangana.

Also, Gen Z is significantly more likely to travel on their own with this segment taking 68 percent of all female solo trips, indicating a significant increase in confidence travelling for long distance.

The data indicates that buses are gradually emerging as a preferred mode of transportation for students, young professionals, and youth looking to travel between cities at affordable rates.

Prakash Sangam, CEO of redBus, said, “Women’s travel today is more than just an increase in numbers; it’s a sign of a growing independence movement. More women in India are traveling today for work, education, and opportunity. For us, it’s about how we can make it more trustworthy and safer so that intercity travel can become empowering for women.”

With more women taking to digital technology and connectivity solutions, it is expected that women’s participation in intercity bus travel would see an increase in the future, indicating that the next big wave in bus transportation growth in India might come from women travelers.