IntrCity, released the results of a travel study, exploring consumer behaviour and travel preferences. The study reveals that 65% of commuters prioritise travelling with an on-board washroom facility, while 60% prefer GPS tracking enabled buses.
IntrCity, released the results of a travel study, exploring consumer behaviour and travel preferences of Indian adults. Results illustrate that with long due vacations, family reunions and work trips, Indians are enthusiastic yet cautious about travelling again, especially as restrictions begin to ease in the country.
Results illustrate that the focus on hygiene and safety has increased exponentially. 65% of commuters prioritise travelling with an on-board washroom facility, while 60% prefer GPS tracking enabled buses. Indian travellers prefer SmartBuses and are willing to pay more for their additional services.
Female commuters prefer safety, while men prefer punctuality when choosing the mode of travel. This survey was conducted y with over 3000 travellers with a focus on bus travel.
Overwhelmingly, travellers focus on safety and hygiene
In the survey, hygiene has emerged as the top priority for inter-city travellers -followed by safety, and punctuality in that order, much similar to the last year’s survey. Bias towards hygiene and sanitisation, indicates a more everlasting shift to the ‘new normal’, even as the pandemic begins to wane.
Among the factors that influence the choice of mode of travel, hygiene and safety take the top 2 spots, followed by pricing and punctuality as the joint third important factor.
Nearly 2/3rd of all respondents have stated a clear preference for a Smart Bus over a regular bus, given the various benefits, it offers relatively. More encouragingly, even more respondents (75%) are willing to pay more for these benefits, compared to a regular bus. Out of these benefits, an automated GPS and an onboard washroom facility comprise two of the most popular features for commuters, as per the survey.
Inter-city travellers generally have a positive view of GPS tracking on their buses, with 60% sharing that this will make their journey more convenient and hassle-free. Those unsure of its utility, or outrightly being uncomfortable with GPS tracking comprise less than a third of all respondents, across genders, age groups, and profiles. Likewise, an on-suite washroom facility gets a thumbs-up from over 65% of all respondents across genders and age groups.
Recovery on the back of functional travel/leisure travel
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 to schools/colleges.
However, one-fifth of all inter-city travel is for vacation and leisure purposes, which is in stark contrast to IntrCity’s last year’s survey which indicated a drop in planned holidays by more than 70% of respondents. This highlights the resurgence of travel in the country, especially at the outset of the pandemic.
Speaking about the survey, Kapil Raizada, Co-founder of IntrCity, said, “In a post-pandemic world, as travel and tourism recover at an unprecedented pace and the major restrictions on travel are being eased, travel seems to have made a huge comeback. It has been our constant endeavour to offer the best-in-class service to our passengers adopting the right technology to deliver maximum profitability and keep ahead of the game with innovative transport solutions.”
He added, “We are delighted to share our survey findings that highlight the priorities of inter-city travellers through Smart Bus. The new normal demands brand affinity towards Smart Bus prioritising various factors. Seeing the high demand for intercity bus travel, it seems that the traveller’s confidence has returned to the pre-pandemic levels for both leisure and non-leisure travel. We look forward to our continued involvement in making these offerings a class apart in this competitive age.”
IntrCity also recently introduced its first-ever digital campaign, “It’s not a Bus, it’s a Smart Bus”, highlighting the importance of onboard washroom facilities for inter-city travellers.
