Experts from the Tutu Buses department analyzed bus ticket sales for the summer of 2019 (with travel dates from June 1 to September 1). The data obtained was compared with the same period last year.
As the company's press service told the TRN portal, Sales of tickets for intercity buses usually begin 10 days before departure, but can also start several months in advance. Each carrier can set its own sales start dates.
Almost 80% tickets for intercity buses are for routes within Russia. If last summer there were about 15% of those wishing to go abroad, then this year 20% bus passengers have already chosen foreign destinations.
The most popular domestic flights this summer, as well as last year, were from Moscow to St. Petersburg. Next comes the Moscow-Rostov-on-Don route, and Moscow-Simferopol closes the top three.
At the same time, flights to Crimea (Simferopol, Feodosia, Yalta, Sevastopol) account for slightly more than 7% tickets. And flights from Moscow to Kerch and Yevpatoriya did not make it into the top ten most popular this summer. The Moscow-Kerch flight moved from 10th place to 17th, and Moscow-Yevpatoriya dropped from 9th place to 51st.
The average ticket price in the country is 1,226 rubles (in summer 2018 - 1,270 rubles). Compared to last summer, the average bill has not changed significantly.
As for the prices of tickets from the TOP-10 most popular bus routes, the trip from Moscow to Kirzhach has become 14% more expensive (313 rubles this summer instead of 281 rubles in 2018). The average bill from Moscow to Anapa has increased by 10%, and to Pereslavl-Zalessky by 11%. On the contrary, the average bill from the capital of Russia to St. Petersburg, to Rostov-on-Don, and from St. Petersburg to Tikhvin has decreased. By the way, Tikhvin's popularity among St. Petersburg residents has doubled (the share of passengers has increased from 0.5% to 1%).
Russian travelers most often travel abroad by bus to Ukraine, Belarus, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Moldova, Kazakhstan, and Georgia.
Overall, the average bill abroad has not changed significantly over the year - 1,856 rubles in the summer of 2019 (and last summer it was 1,806 rubles).
The three most popular foreign routes are: Moscow - Kyiv (1,573 rubles), Moscow - Minsk (1,442 rubles) and St. Petersburg - Tallinn (1,348 rubles).
It has become more expensive to travel from Moscow to Kharkov (+23%), from St. Petersburg to Tallinn (+10%) and from Moscow to Riga (+8%). On the contrary, the average bill on the St. Petersburg-Minsk route has become lower (-15%),
The company also noted that since mid-June, users of the Tutu.ru travel service have been able to purchase business class tickets for Lux Express buses. You can travel in comfort from Moscow and St. Petersburg to cities in Finland, Estonia, and Latvia. On Tutu.ru, you can purchase tickets for buses on the following routes: from Moscow and St. Petersburg to Tallinn and Riga (and back); from St. Petersburg to Helsinki, Vilnius, Narva (and back); from Tallinn to Minsk, Pärnu, Riga, Haapsalu, and Tartu (and back). All of the cities listed can be combined with each other, thereby creating your own unique route.
Source: trn-news.ru
