According to Uber, demand for Intercity bookings notably increases during long weekends and festive seasons such as Diwali, Holi, Eid, and the summer wedding period.

Weekend travel, especially on Fridays, sees the highest bookings, with departures often scheduled in the early morning or during lighter traffic between 2 p.m. and 3 p.m.

Uber reported its highest annual intercity booking figures in 2024. Sundays emerged as the most popular travel day, followed by Saturdays and Fridays.

Reserve and Round-Trip features—allowing advance bookings and one vehicle to serve multi-stop or return journeys—drove much of the demand. Round-trips were popular for leisure, pilgrimages, and event travel, while one-way rides were predominantly used for family visits, business travel, and airport or railway access.

Alongside the expansion, Uber has launched a limited-period pilot of “Intercity Motorhomes” in the Delhi-NCR region. Bookings for the motorhomes opened on August 4 through the Uber app, and the service runs from August 7 to September 6. These vehicles accommodate four to five passengers and include a driver and an assistant.

Interiors of Uber Intercity Motorhomes. Photo: Uber website

Each motorhome is equipped with a television, microwave, mini refrigerator, and lavatory. The service offers features already available in the standard Intercity product, such as advance reservations, the ability to add stops, real-time tracking, and 24×7 support, Uber said.

Uber India and South Asia’s Head of Rider Verticals, Shweta Mantri, said: “This India-first innovation has been developed entirely by Uber’s tech teams in Bengaluru and is part of a broader attempt to organise the highly fragmented and informal intercity travel sector.”

“Features such as advance ride reservations up to 90 days, multi-stop trips, and round-trip bookings give users greater control and flexibility – a stark contrast to traditional intercity transport booking methods.”

Uber said the motorhome venture is aimed at flyers, families, and those planning weekend getaways or special trips—including weddings—that typically rely on flights or private cars.

The company estimates India's domestic road travel market to be worth about USD 6 billion and cited the country’s rapidly expanding national highway network—up more than 60% in the past decade—and around 8 billion annual road passenger trips as key factors supporting the expansion.