Buses carry most overnight travellers, two-wheelers dominate the daily work commute

The survey found that 55.8% of overnight household journeys are undertaken by bus. File | Photo Credit: ANIL KUMAR SASTRY

Buses are significantly more popular than trains for overnight travel in India, with more than half of all household overnight journeys undertaken by bus, according to the country’s first-ever National Household Travel Survey released by the National Statistics Office (NSO) on Monday (October 5, 2026).

The survey found that 55.8% of overnight household journeys are undertaken by bus, compared with 17.7% by inter-city railways. Together, buses and railways account for nearly three-fourths, or 73.5%, of all overnight travel. Cars account for 15.1% of such journeys, while two-wheelers make up another 8.8%.

Railway use is significantly higher among urban households. About 22.7% of urban households use rail for overnight journeys, compared with around 14% of rural households.

Overnight journeys, however, are largely not undertaken for tourism. The survey found that 70.2% of overnight household trips are for social, communication, and religious purposes. Culture, leisure, sports and tourism account for just 7.4% of such trips.