Brandwave

redBus vs Wanderu:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, redBus had more branded searches than Wanderu among bus booking platforms worldwide. redBus had about 7.5 million branded searches, while Wanderu had 60,500. redBus made up 35.7% of all bus booking platform searches we track, and Wanderu accounted for 0.29%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about bus booking platforms, Wanderu appeared in all five answers and redBus in two. Wanderu was mentioned before redBus in four out of five answers.

Among bus booking platforms worldwide in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

redBus, about 124 searches for every 1 for Wanderu

redBus 7.5M searchesWanderu 60.5K searches

Who does AI mention more?

Wanderu, mentioned in every answer we collected

Wanderu in 5 of 5redBus in 2 of 5

Who does AI recommend more?

Wanderu, named ahead of redBus in 4 of 5 answers

Wanderu first in 4redBus first in 1

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Top bus booking platforms in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Wanderu appeared in all five answers. redBus was mentioned in two out of five: in two of the three ChatGPT answers, but not in either of the two Google AI Overviews. Wanderu was listed before redBus in four out of 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 redBus or Wanderu more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for redBus and Wanderu 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.

redBus and Wanderu among bus booking platforms worldwide, by month

Share of searches by month for redBus, Wanderu. 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 redBus and Wanderu comparison changed over the last 12 months?

3 findings
  • redBus was ahead of Wanderu in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, redBus’ share of searches among bus booking platforms worldwide moved from 38.3% to 35.7%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 9.1M to 7.5M.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Wanderu’s share of searches among bus booking platforms worldwide moved from 0.31% to 0.29%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 74K to 60.5K.

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

3 changes
  1. In September 2026, FlixBus overtook redBus to become the leader among bus booking platforms worldwide, with 35.7% of the searches.

  2. In September 2026, redBus lost share of searches among bus booking platforms worldwide, from 38.6% to 35.7%.

  3. Estimated monthly branded searches for Wanderu worldwide fell 18.2% over 12 measured months, from 74K to 60.5K in September 2026.

How are branded searches counted?

3 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using redBus’ and Wanderu’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.

redBus

2 branded search terms

  • red bus
  • redbus

Wanderu

1 branded search term

  • wanderu

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among bus booking platforms

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