Brandwave

BlaBlaCar vs Busbud:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, BlaBlaCar had more branded searches than Busbud among bus booking platforms worldwide. BlaBlaCar had about 5 million branded searches, while Busbud had 301,000. BlaBlaCar made up 23.9% of all bus booking platform searches we track, and Busbud accounted for 1.4%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about bus booking platforms, Busbud appeared in four of the five answers and BlaBlaCar in none.

Among bus booking platforms worldwide in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

BlaBlaCar, about 17 searches for every 1 for Busbud

BlaBlaCar 5M searchesBusbud 301K searches

Who does AI mention more?

Busbud, mentioned in 4 of 5 answers, BlaBlaCar in 0

Busbud in 4 of 5BlaBlaCar in 0 of 5

Who does AI recommend more?

Busbud, the only one of the two named

Busbud first in 4BlaBlaCar never named

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Top bus booking platforms in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Busbud was mentioned in four out of five: in all three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. BlaBlaCar did not appear in any of the five answers.

Most recommended by AI

Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.

  1. Wanderu1st
  2. Busbud2nd
  3. FlixBus3rd
  4. Greyhound4th
  5. redBus5th
  6. Megabus6th
  7. BlaBlaCar–

Mentioned by AI

Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.

  • FlixBus5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Greyhound5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Wanderu5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Busbud4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • redBus2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Megabus1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • BlaBlaCar0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

See every answer about bus booking platforms

5 answers

Not named in any answer:

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in the United States on October 19, 2026.

Is BlaBlaCar or Busbud more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for BlaBlaCar and Busbud by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all seven bus booking platforms we track, month by month, from English-language searches worldwide.

BlaBlaCar and Busbud among bus booking platforms worldwide, by month

Share of searches by month for BlaBlaCar, Busbud. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthFlixBusredBusBlaBlaCarBusbudGreyhoundMegabusWanderu
Oct 202531.3%38.3%25.6%1.3%1.3%1.9%0.31%
Nov 202535.5%35.5%23.7%1.7%1.4%1.7%0.35%
Dec 202533.8%33.8%27.6%1.7%1.1%1.7%0.33%
Jan 202635.7%35.7%23.9%1.8%1.2%1.4%0.24%
Feb 202635.6%35.6%23.8%1.4%1.4%1.8%0.29%
Mar 202635.6%35.6%23.8%1.8%1.4%1.4%0.29%
Apr 202631.6%38.6%25.9%1.3%1%1.3%0.26%
May 202631.6%38.6%25.8%1.3%1.3%1.3%0.26%
Jun 202633.8%33.8%27.7%1.7%1.4%1.4%0.27%
Jul 202638.5%31.5%25.8%1.6%1.3%1%0.26%
Aug 202631.6%38.6%25.8%1.3%1.3%1.3%0.26%
Sep 202635.7%35.7%23.9%1.4%1.4%1.4%0.29%

How has the BlaBlaCar and Busbud comparison changed over the last 12 months?

3 findings
  • BlaBlaCar was ahead of Busbud in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, BlaBlaCar’s share of searches among bus booking platforms worldwide moved from 25.6% to 23.9%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 6.1M to 5M.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Busbud’s share of searches among bus booking platforms worldwide moved from 1.3% to 1.4%, and its estimated monthly branded searches held steady at 301K.

How did search popularity change for bus booking platforms worldwide in September 2026?

1 change
  1. In September 2026, BlaBlaCar lost share of searches among bus booking platforms worldwide, from 25.8% to 23.9%.

How are branded searches counted?

2 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using BlaBlaCar’s and Busbud’s names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading.

BlaBlaCar

1 branded search term

  • blablacar

Busbud

1 branded search term

  • busbud

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among bus booking platforms

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