The corporation has stipulated that all advertisements must receive prior approval from the BMTC and should be available in Kannada in line with government norms.
| Photo Credit: K. MURALI KUMAR
After wrapping its buses with advertisements and planning to print advertisements on bus tickets to boost non-fare revenue, the Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) has now taken another step towards monetising its assets by planning to display QR code-based advertisements on the back of passenger seats across its bus fleet.
The proposed QR displays will measure 10 cm x 10 cm and will be placed on the rear side of passenger seats, according to officials.
Speaking to The Hindu, a senior BMTC official said, “Commuters will be able to scan the QR codes using their smartphones without downloading a separate application. The selected agency must provide a Progressive Web App (PWA) or browser-based platform compatible with Android and iOS devices. The BMTC will also have access to a live analytics dashboard showing scan counts, user engagement, click-through rates and anonymised geo-tagged data.”
The corporation has stipulated that all advertisements must receive prior approval from the BMTC and should be available in Kannada in line with government norms.
“Up to 10% of the display space or time can be reserved by the BMTC for public service messages and emergency announcements. Advertisements containing political, religious, obscene, offensive or defamatory content will not be permitted,” the official added.
To ensure passenger safety and data security, the BMTC mandates compliance with the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, along with strict cybersecurity standards. The QR codes must not redirect users to malicious websites or unauthorised payment platforms.
BMTC eyes EV fleet for advertising to boost non-fare revenue
After extensively using full-body advertisements on its buses, the BMTC is now looking to monetise its growing electric bus fleet by offering advertising space on the rear panels of 1,000 Tata electric buses.
Unlike the fully wrapped buses currently seen on Bengaluru’s roads, the Tata electric buses will not carry advertisements across their entire body. Instead, the BMTC has proposed to utilise only the 18 sq ft back panel of each electric bus for commercial advertisements, allowing the vehicles to retain their standard BMTC branding while creating a new source of revenue.
The move comes as BMTC continues to strengthen its non-fare revenue streams following the introduction of the State government’s Shakti Scheme, which provides free bus travel for women across Karnataka’s State-run transport corporations. While the scheme has significantly increased ridership, transport undertakings have been exploring additional revenue sources beyond passenger fares to improve their financial sustainability.
“The BMTC has invited tenders from eligible advertising agencies and firms for the exclusive rights to display advertisements on the back panels of 1,000 Tata EV buses. The licence will be awarded for a period of 36 months, with an option to extend it at the BMTC’s discretion,” a senior BMTC official said.
The corporation has fixed a minimum licence fee of ₹4,800 per bus per month (excluding GST). At this base rate alone, the BMTC is expected to earn around ₹48 lakh every month, which works out to approximately ₹5.76 crore annually. “Over the three-year licence period, the corporation could generate at least ₹17.28 crore in non-fare revenue if all 1,000 advertising spaces are utilised. Since the contract will be awarded to the bidder offering the highest monthly licence fee, the BMTC’s actual earnings could be considerably higher than these estimates,” the official added
Last year, the BMTC started to fully wrap its 3,400 AC and non-AC buses with advertisements.
Published – July 17, 2026 05:30 am IST
