India intercity bus demand rises 30–50% during festive season

An analysis of travel patterns from over 600,000 passengers by Fresh Bus reveals that daily passenger volumes on key intercity corridors in India increase by 30% to 50% during the festive season compared to regular weeks.

The surge is driven by travelers combining home visits, religious pilgrimages, and leisure trips around major festivals such as Dussehra and Diwali. This trend is particularly prominent in South India. Ahead of the holidays, there is a significant increase in outbound demand from major urban centers toward Andhra Pradesh as professionals and families return to their hometowns. Following the celebrations, demand shifts sharply toward major hubs like Hyderabad and Bengaluru.

Key high-demand corridors include Hyderabad–Vijayawada, Vijayawada–Visakhapatnam, and Bengaluru–Tirupati. While the first two are primarily driven by homebound travel, the Bengaluru–Tirupati route sees additional demand from pilgrimage travelers. Other seasonal shifts are noted in leisure corridors such as Bengaluru–Pondicherry.