Bus vs cab Delhi to
Mussoorie

On money alone the bus, at every group size the car actually seats. A bus seat is about ₹767 and the cab is ₹3,300 for the whole vehicle, so one person pays ₹767 against ₹3,300, and four pay ₹3,068 against the same ₹3,300. The cab only becomes cheaper per head at about 5 people, which is more than a sedan's 4 seats — so within one car the bus is always the cheaper ticket. What the cab buys is not a lower fare.

About 2.5 hours off the journey — 5.5 hours or so against 6.5+ by the best bus, and it starts at your door rather than at a bus stand. For 290 km that is the difference between arriving able to do something and arriving needing to sleep. It also stops where you want it to, which on this route is the part people actually miss on a bus.

Ordinary Bus at ₹500, 8-9 hrs (every 3 hours), Semi-Deluxe AC at ₹750, 7-8 hrs (3 daily) and Volvo AC at ₹1,050, 6.5-7 hrs (4 daily). The gap between the cheapest and the best is ₹550 a seat, and on an overnight run it is usually worth paying it.

₹3,300 in a sedan and ₹4,500 in an SUV for the whole car, over 290 km at ₹11 and ₹14 per km. The SUV is the sensible choice once you have luggage or four adults; below that the sedan does the same journey in the same time.

We rate it 5 against 3 out of five, and the reason is specific rather than general: you choose when to stop, the luggage is beside you rather than in a hold, and nobody else's schedule sets the departure. A Volvo seat on a good road is perfectly comfortable — the difference shows up on the stops and the timing, not the seat.

Cab is perfect for the Queen of Hills. Scenic Rajpur Road drive, direct Mall Road drop. Bus drops at Dehradun, then you still need a cab. That is a judgement about the whole journey rather than the fare — the fare comparison above is separate and the bus wins it. If the budget is the deciding factor, take the bus and we will say so.

The bus for solo budget traveler. The cab for couple trip, family of 4 and honeymoon trip. Volvo at ₹1,050. But note: bus only goes to Dehradun. You need another cab to Mussoorie (₹500).