Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation buses to shed colourful full-body advertisement wraps

Bengaluru: The Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) has decided to discontinue full-body advertisements on its buses following repeated complaints from commuters.Officials said passengers often found the large advertisement wraps to be an eyesore that spoiled the appearance of the buses and made it difficult to identify services. Many commuters also pointed out that route numbers and destination boards became harder to spot when buses were completely covered with advertisements.The BMTC has a fleet of 7,025 buses. To generate non-fare box revenue to meet rising operational costs, BMTC allowed the display of full-body advertisements (full bus wraps) on about 3,300 buses. For operating every bus, BMTC spends about Rs 85.4 per km, which includes fuel costs, maintenance, staff salaries, insurance, and other expenses.As per the agreement reached earlier, a private agency was selected for the display of advertisements on 3,000 ordinary buses, generating about Rs 3.97 crore per month for BMTC. In another agreement, advertisements were displayed on 300 AC buses, earning the corporation about Rs 79.6 lakh every month.Transport minister Ramalinga Reddy said, "No doubt advertisements generate additional revenue for BMTC. However, there were complaints that full wrap advertisements spoil the look of the buses and dilute the branding of BMTC services. Considering these suggestions, in future, advertisements will be limited to certain parts of the bus body, and full wrap advertisements will not be allowed."A BMTC official said, "There were also objections to surrogacy advertisements, which are now completely banned. Some also argued that full-body ads could distract motorists on the road." The official added that this was not the first time BMTC generated revenue through advertisements on buses, as such practices existed earlier as well. Another concern raised was that while removing the advertisement wraps, the paint on the bus sometimes peeled off. "As per contract terms, advertisers must repaint the bus after removing the advertisements," the official added. In the ongoing Legslative session, MLC HS Gopinath said full-wrap advertisements spoil the image of the BMTC and should be discontinued.It is not only BMTC; even BMRCL, which operates Namma Metro, allows advertisements on train coaches on a limited number of its fleet.