Bengaluru metro eyes at least Rs 65 crore annual revenue from ads on pillars

Bengaluru Metro's Yellow Line

After a seven-year ban, advertisements on metro pillars are set to make a comeback in Bengaluru, with the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) inviting bids to commercialise thousands of such structures in the tech city.

The agency recently floated a tender offering space on Purple, Green and Yellow Lines corridors and also for the under-construction Pink and Blue Lines.

Minimum concession fee and agreement terms

BMRCL has set a minimum annual concession fee of Rs 65 crore for advertising rights across all five metro corridors. The selected firm will pay this fixed fee for the rights to display advertisements on the pillars.

The agreement will run for 12 years with a four-year lock-in period and can be extended up to a maximum of 15 years. The annual fee will be subject to a 5 percent annual increase.

Also read: Bengaluru Metro rolls out trains wrapped in advertisements

Space on offer

Together, five corridors offer nearly 3.7 lakh square feet of advertising space across 4,956 pillars and portals.

Purple Line, which connects Challaghatta and Whitefield, alone accounts for 1,216 piers and portals with over 95,000 square feet available. Green Line has about 65,000 sq ft of space across 962 piers and portals, while Yellow Line adds another 48,000 sq ft.

The under-construction corridors add another 42,000 sq ft on the elevated section of the Pink Line and close to 1.2 lakh square feet on the Blue Line.

On the Yellow Line, where the Biocon Foundation has transformed 43 pillars with Channapatna-themed art between Huskur Gate and Biocon Hebbagodi stretch, rules are different. To preserve the heritage artwork, advertisers must use smaller boards placed on the median, with designs requiring approval from BMRCL.

Also read: From funding stations to painting pillars, here’s how corporates are boarding the Bengaluru Metro

Policy shift after 2018 ban

Pillar advertisements are being revived following a shift in the city’s outdoor advertisements policy.  In 2018, Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike  (BBMP) banned all outdoor ads after the Karnataka High Court slammed the unchecked spread of hoardings and flexes that scarred Bengaluru’s skyline.

In February 2025, deputy chief minister and Bengaluru development minister DK Shivakumar said advertisements would be allowed on metro pillars and directed BMRCL and BBMP to split the revenue equally.

In July, BBMP published its advertisement byelaws, 2024 for the Greater Bengaluru area. The regulations set limits on ad sizes, spacing between hoardings and explicitly say that metro structures, including stations and piers, are exempt from BBMP's regular advertising zones.

Display guidelines

The BMRCL's tender, too, lays down strict guidelines. No advertisements promoting tobacco, alcohol, obscenity, political messages, or content derogatory to any community or institution will be permitted.

Ad panels must follow BBMP advertisement byelaws, obtain necessary clearances and use durable, tamper-proof materials.

For digital panels, advertisers must meet luminance and fire safety norms and ensure they do not come in the way of metro safety or operations, the tender document says.

Also read: In a first, Bengaluru Metro to wrap trains with ads to boost revenue; tender to be floated soon

Push for non-fare revenue

“The advertisements must be of international quality, aesthetically pleasing and technologically advanced,” the tender document says.

The metro has already several steps to monetise its infrastructure. In June, it introduced train wraps, allowing advertisers to cover coaches with advertisements.

The non-fare revenue initiatives are expected to give a boost to BMRCL’s non-fare revenue, as operating costs climb and network expansion gathers pace.