New Delhi, Mar 13 (IANS): About 67 per cent of online bus ticket bookings in India come from tier 2 and tier 3 cities, while 33 per cent of bookings come from metros, a new report showed on Wednesday.

According to the online bus ticketing platform redBus, this trend showcases the growing importance of tier 2 and tier 3 cities and increased digital penetration into non-metro areas.

"This report signifies our commitment to revolutionising the bus transport industry, offering precise figures and trends previously unavailable," said Prakash Sangam, CEO, redBus.

According to the report, young travellers dominated the bookings, with 29 per cent aged 18-25 and 39 per cent aged 26-36, showing that buses are one of the preferred movers of students and working adults.

About 33 per cent of all passengers were female, and 52 per cent of bookings were for solo travellers.

Moreover, the report noted that expressway development can result in up to 200 per cent growth in bus seat bookings.

The national highway network has increased by 60 per cent in the last decade to cover 1,46,145 km in 2023 and has resulted in a considerable reduction in travel time by buses.

Maharashtra and Goa topped the charts with 82 per cent bus occupancy, while Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh saw the lowest at 67 per cent.

The all-India bus occupancy rate was 77 per cent.

The report also mentioned that the number of passengers travelled in the November and December (2023) period was 36.06 million.