FY25 Surge: redBus Logs 223 Million Intercity Passengers

25th June 2025: redBus, the world’s largest online bus ticketing platform, has released the FY25 edition of its India Intercity BusTrack Report, offering a panoramic view of how India travelled by bus over the past year. The report reveals that an estimated 223.85 million intercity journeys were made by bus in FY25, roughly equivalent to the population of Brazil, reaffirming the major role of bus travel in India’s mobility ecosystem.

The launch of this annual edition marks over a year since redBus introduced its first BusTrack report in March 2024, which began as a quarterly initiative to map evolving travel patterns across the country. With intercity mobility witnessing sharp growth and shifts in consumer behaviour, the annual report offers a retrospective look at the trends that defined the year. To maintain the regular cadence of updates, the report also includes the latest JFM quarterly insights for FY25, offering a more granular view of recent months. The trends reflected here pertain to private bus operators and estimates from the redBus platform only.

From last-minute bookings and long-distance pilgrimages to leisure escapes and student migrations, the report highlights how buses remain one of India’s most democratic and widely used modes of intercity travel. On an average day, over 6.5 lakh people travelled by bus, comparable to the populations of cities like Jamshedpur or Amravati.

“The past year has underscored the vital role intercity bus travel plays in India’s mobility landscape, yet it remains one of the least studied modes of transport. With redBus BusTrack, we set out to change that by building a year-long, data-driven view of the industry, across seasons, regions, and user segments. This annual report is a culmination of our commitment to transparency, accessibility, and ecosystem-wide insights. We hope it empowers government bodies, operators, startups, and researchers alike to make informed, future-forward decisions that benefit both businesses and travellers” said Prakash Sangam, CEO, redBus.

Some standout findings from the report include:

• Over 72,000 new intercity bus routes were launched in 2025, dramatically expanding connectivity across India.
• India recorded its longest single ride at 3,062 km, from Ernakulam to Dharamshala, spanning the length of the country.
• 760 electric buses are now operational in the intercity segment, pointing to India’s shift toward cleaner transport.
• India added 6,400 new buses in FY25, creating an additional 2.65 lakh daily seats for travellers.
• November 1, 2025, the day after Diwali, saw the year’s highest single-day ridership, with over 9.7 lakh people on the move.

With rising digitisation in Tier 2 and Tier 3 towns, increasing consumer preference for comfort and overnight travel, and a greener, growing fleet, the report captures a pivotal year for the sector. Drawing insights from over 220 million journeys. The report offers over 70 key insights, drawing from extensive data across both private operators and State Road Transport Corporations (RTCs). It provides a comprehensive overview of travel trends, helping both private bus operators and RTCs to forecast demand, understand evolving passenger preferences, and plan operations more effectively. The report offers a comprehensive lens on how affordability, access, and technology are shaping the future of road travel in India. The full report is available for download at redBus Blog.