NueGo, the flagship inter-city electric mobility coach brand of GreenCell Mobility, conducted an interview-based study with over 2800 respondents across 10 cities in partnership with Kantar. The study was aimed at understanding the needs of the Indian inter-city traveller and has revealed 79% of inter- city travellers feel there is a lack of standardisation in different aspects of bus travel like punctuality, cleanliness/ hygiene, and provisions related to food and beverages.
The survey included multiple bus traveller segments – Premium AC, Affordable AC, Non-AC, using both qualitative and quantitative research. A qualitative research survey was also conducted among inter-city bus travel stakeholders like private bus operators, offline ticketing agents and online aggregators.
The majority of the intercity bus travellers were found to be working males with an average age of 35 years.
The study further shows that the top reason for travel is leisure (around 58%) for travellers across the country with the first preference of travelling with Family or Friends.
The zone-wise data showed that Travel for leisure is higher in the North (70%) compared to the West (56%) and South (55%).
When choosing a mode of transport, comfort, hygiene, and safety are the top considerations along with cleanliness, post COVID-19, cleanliness and hygiene have become essential to consumers in all facets of life. Safety is the third most important consideration at an overall level.
However, among women, the hierarchy of factors influencing the choice of mode of travel is different. Safety is the top consideration among women, followed by cleanliness.
The order of these factors also differs by Zones. Safety is the most crucial factor to travellers in the South, while comfort is relatively more important to those in the North and the West. Travellers in the North also seem to be more price-sensitive as it is the second most important consideration to them, while it ranks fourth in the West and third in the South.
In India, there are about 3,60,000+ inter-city buses among which only about 50,000 of these buses are AC buses. In this AC buses segment, the premium AC bus market comprises of approximately 15,000 buses. The CAGR growth in the bus AC market is predicted at 20-25 per cent.
Among this segment, going greener while travelling has also seen an uptake. The study has found that when asked about their keenness to travel green with premium electric buses, majority of the travellers showed a high willingness with 77% willing to pay a premium for these buses.
Speaking on the survey, Anand Parameswaran, Executive Director, Insights Division, Kantar said, “The study covered different phases of travel. There is a clear demand for a seamless, consistent, and elevated consumer experience in all facets of travel. Consumers are also becoming socially conscious and willing to opt for electric buses for a sustainable future.”