With ease in restrictions pertaining to COVID-19, 65% travellers prioritise travelling with an on-board washroom facility, while 60% prefer GPS tracking enabled buses. This is what a study made by mobility platform IntrCity stated where they surveyed 3100 respondents between the age group of 18-60 years. Female travellers prefer safety, while men prefer punctuality when choosing the mode of travel. The survey was conducted between March 15 and April 10.
The study undertaken IntrCity, an intercity mobility platform, revealed in its travel survey to understand Indian travellers' behaviour and preferences while travelling inter-city. Results illustrate that with long due vacations, visiting family on weekends and work trips, people are enthusiastic to travel yet cautious about hygiene and sanitisation.
For inter-city travellers, hygiene and safety are the top two criteria that impact mode of transportation selection, followed by cost and punctuality as the joint third most significant factor. The study shows that nearly 2/3rd of all respondents have stated a clear preference for a SmartBus over a regular bus.
At least 75% are willing to pay more for these benefits, compared to a regular bus. Out of these benefits, an automated GPS system and an on-board washroom facility comprise two of the most popular features for travellers. Intercity travellers generally view GPS tracking on their bus as an ideal choice, with 60% saying it will make their ride easier and hassle-free. Similarly, over 65% of all respondents across genders and age groups want on-board washroom facility in an inter-city bus travel.
Speaking about the survey, Kapil Raizada, Co-founder of IntrCity, said, “Inter-city travel appears to have made a huge comeback in a post-pandemic world, as travel recovers at an unprecedented rate and all COVID restrictions on travel are being eased. Our survey highlights the priority areas of inter-city travellers. The new normal necessitates continued focus on safety, hygiene, punctuality and providing differentiated experience to travellers.”
Among all respondents, more than 70% are intercity functional travellers, out of which, 31% are travelling for work, 32% to meet family/relatives, while 8% are students travelling from or to schools/colleges. However, one-fifth of all inter-city travel is for vacation and leisure purposes, which is in sharp contrast to IntrCity’s last year survey which indicated a drop in planned holidays by more than 70% of respondents who travel between India's Metro cities, tier-1, and tier-2 cities.
