The U.S. bus travel landscape is shifting gears in the New
Year according to data from global travel platform, Busbud.
The report is part of the launch of a global storytelling
campaign centered around the theme “Santa’s Sleigh Broke Down…So He Took the Bus,”
reflecting the warmth and reliability of bus travel.
Information drawn from over 10 million tickets sold
worldwide shows a change in
traveler preference that includes sunnier domestic destinations and key
Canadian hubs. Though New York, Orlando
and Miami were the country’s busiest travel hubs in 2025, data shows a decisive
tilt toward warmer climates and international travel.
Montreal, Vancouver and Toronto came in as the top three
cross-border destinations in 2025 while three of the most searched destinations
for 2026 includes Miami, Orlando and Montreal.
"The American bus traveler is consistently
demonstrating a preference for both high-value domestic connections and
accessible international exploration," said LP Maurice, CEO and Co-founder
of Busbud in a statement.
He added, "The enduring popularity of Canadian
destinations like Montreal, alongside the surge in searches for Miami and
Orlando, confirms that the bus network is a critical tool for reaching both
leisure hot spots and key cross-border destinations. It underscores the bus's
role as an affordable and reliable way to begin a major journey, whether to the
beaches or beyond the border."
Countries leading global bus ticket sales include Chile,
Brazil, Canada, South Africa and the U.S. European demand showed Spain at 6th
place, the UK at 7th and France at 8th. Portugal and Argentina
rounded out the top ten searched destinations.
Regarding holiday travel, the report indicated:
- New York, Orlando, and Miami - will be the
busiest destinations for both Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve.
- For New Year's Eve, Seattle joins the list as
one of the busiest hubs, indicating thousands of passengers are taking a final
ride of the year from the Pacific Northwest to ring in 2026.
- U.S. travelers take some of the longest bus
trips on Christmas Eve globally.
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