The report says that 33 per cent of women check how many other women have already booked seats on the bus
Women are reshaping India’s intercity mobility landscape as women’s bus travel has surged by 136 per cent since 2019, nearly double the pace of overall passenger growth at 72 per cent. A study bus Redbus revealed that women now make up one in three intercity bus travellers (33 per cent), up from 23 per cent in 2019.
The Redbus Pink report noted that the momentum is driven by Gen Z travellers, rising solo journeys and growing adoption across tier 2 and 3 towns. South India continues to lead women’s bus travel participation, rising from 24 per cent in 2019 to 34 per cent in 2025, while other regions have also seen steady growth, such as west from 23 per cent to 31 per cent, east from 21 per cent to 30 per cent and north from 20 per cent to 28 per cent.
The report also includes an index which measures ease of travel for women in every state. This categorisation is created using a weighted index that considers women’s share of travellers nationally, the proportion of solo women travellers, and the number of women undertaking long-distance journeys above 500 kilometre. The top five states are Assam, Keralam, Andhra Pradesh, Punjab and Telangana.
Gen Z women (14 to 29 years) make up 60 per cent of all women passengers and account for 68 per cent of solo women trips. Women travellers show stronger planning habits, with 62 per cent booking their bus tickets one or more days before travel, compared to 48 per cent of men who book one or more days earlier.
“Women’s travel in India today reflects more than just rising journeys; it signals a growing sense of independence. More women across India are choosing to travel on their own terms, for work, education, opportunity or leisure. At Redbus, we are continuously strengthening features that build trust, from better visibility of bus ratings by women, to enhanced safety information and dedicated support systems. Our goal is to continue to make intercity travel more reliable, more accessible and more empowering for every woman, whether she is travelling alone or leading a group. We believe mobility is freedom, and freedom should be seamless,” stated Prakash Sangam, Chief Executive Officer, Redbus.
The report pointed out that 47 per cent of women prefer buses that are highly rated by other women passengers, underscoring the importance of peer trust in travel decisions. 33 per cent of women check how many other women have already booked seats on the bus.
During the journey, service quality and safety-linked features play a critical role, with staff behaviour (50 per cent) emerging as the most important factor, followed by the ability to share live tracking with trusted contacts (48 per cent).
