79% Of Intercity Bus Travelers Feel There Is A Lack Of Uniformity Of Services, Reveals Nuego

HT Bureau
GUWAHATI, June 11: NueGo, the flagship inter-city electric mobility coach brand of GreenCell Mobility, conducted first of its kind interview-based study with over 2800 respondents across 10 cities in partnership with Kantar, the world’s leading insights and consulting company. The study was aimed at understanding the needs of the Indian inter-city traveller and has revealed 79% of inter- city travellers feel there is a lack of standardisation in different aspects of bus travel like punctuality, cleanliness/ hygiene, provision of food and beverages.
The study included multiple bus traveller segments – Premium AC, Affordable AC, Non-AC, using both qualitative and quantitative research. A qualitative research survey was also conducted among inter- city bus travel stakeholders like private bus operators, offline ticketing agents and online aggregators. Majority of the inter-city bus travellers were found to be working males with an average age of 35 years.
The study further shows that leisure is the top reason for travel (58%) for travellers across the country with preference given to travelling with family or friends. The zone wise data showed that Travel for leisure is higher in the North (70%) compared to West (56%) and South (55%).
When choosing a mode of transport, comfort, hygiene, and safety are the top considerations along with cleanliness.
Post Covid-19, cleanliness and hygiene have become important to consumers in all facets of life. Safety is the third most important consideration at an overall level.
Among women, however, the hierarchy of factors influencing the choice of mode of travel is different. Safety is the top consideration among women, followed by cleanliness.
The order of these factors also differs by zones. Safety is most important to travellers in the South while comfort is relatively more important to those in the North and the West. Travellers in the North also seem to be more price sensitive as it is the second most important consideration to them, while it ranks fourth in the West and third in the South.
In India, there are about 3,60,000+ inter- city buses among which only about 50,000 of these buses are AC buses. In this AC buses segment, the premium AC bus market comprises about 15,000 buses. The CAGR growth in the bus AC market is predicted at 20-25 per cent.
Among this segment, going greener while travelling has also seen an uptake. The study has found that when asked about their keenness to travel green with premium electric buses, the majority of the travellers showed a high willingness with 77% willing to pay a premium for these buses.
Speaking on the survey, Anand Parameswaran, executive director, Insights Division, Kantar said, “The study covered different phases of travel. There is a clear demand for a seamless, consistent, and elevated consumer experience in all facets of travel. Consumers are also becoming socially conscious and willing to opt for electric buses for a sustainable future.”
The study infers that while inter-city travel is developing from an infrastructure perspective, there is a lot of scope to improve with respect to service offerings. Service aspects related to operations like punctuality, cleanliness, mid- point halts, food, and beverages were stated to be most important by travellers when choosing a particular bus operator for their inter- city travel.
To address this segment of travelers, NueGo, the flagship inter-city pan Indian electric mobility coach brand of GreenCell Mobility, is pioneering the mass transport sector by offering a world-class travel experience for Indian customers.
Speaking on the offering, Ashok Agarwal, MD & CEO, GreenCell Mobility said, “NueGo services will soon be rolled out across 75 Indian cities, starting on the Indore- Bhopal route in early June. A customer-centric brand, NueGo buses are a climate-friendly alternative focused on delivering the brilliant basics to the Indian travelers which are at par with Global standards.”
A unique service offering, NueGo buses will be fitted with innovative technology and offer end to end convenience through customer lounges, app bookings, live tracking, and seamless customer experience.