With revenues taking a downturn, the Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) has been looking at alternative means of cash flow. Rising diesel prices and the Shakti scheme giving free rides to women implemented by the incumbent Congress government have caused the corporation’s revenues to nosedive over the last few years.
As reported by Christin Mathew Philip for MoneyControl, the Corporation is now looking at playing audio advertisements on its buses. According to officials, since all BMTC buses are equipped with a functional passenger information system (PIS) that announces upcoming bus stops, playing advertisements in between them is the plan. The corporation will soon call for tenders for the same. This follows the BMTC’s plans to advertise on the back of bus tickets, a move announced barely a month ago.
This is undoubtedly a good move and has been adopted by metro operators, particularly Reliance Infrastructure-led Mumbai Metro One (MMOPL) that operates the Blue Line of the Mumbai Metro. BMTC will however be the first bus operator to toy with audio ads.
Non-fare revenue is always a great idea, however, what led to the Corporation’s revenue plumetting is another story.
