BEST bus advertising
Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport Undertaking
Includes 50 air-conditioned electric double-deckers. Target is a fully electric city fleet by March 2027.
BEST is the fleet the Mumbai media plan is built around. Around 2,911 buses run out of 27 depots, from Colaba and Backbay in the south to Dahisar, Mulund and Mira Road at the northern edge, and the depot list maps almost perfectly onto Mumbai's commercial geography.
That depot structure is what makes BEST buyable with precision. Marol buses run Andheri East via the airport. Backbay covers Nariman Point, Cuffe Parade and Churchgate. Dharavi and Kalakilla cover BKC. Booking by depot means booking an audience, not a vehicle.
The fleet is electrifying fast, with 711 buses already, including 50 air-conditioned double-deckers. Those double-deckers carry roughly 1,200 square feet of wrap, the largest single mobile surface available anywhere in the state, and they attract press and social coverage that a single-decker never will.
What you can brand
| Bus class | Cabin | Wrap area | Formats |
|---|---|---|---|
| Switch Double-Decker (AC Electric)12 m · electric | AC | 1200 sq ft | Full Wrap, Rear Panel, Side Panel, Interior Media |
| Marcopolo AC12 m · cng | AC | 550 sq ft | Full Wrap, Rear Panel, Side Panel, Combo Panel, Interior Media |
| Marcopolo Non-AC12 m · cng | Non-AC | 750 sq ft | Full Wrap, Rear Panel, Side Panel, Combo Panel, Interior Media |
| Olectra Electric12 m · electric | AC | 520 sq ft | Full Wrap, Rear Panel, Side Panel, Combo Panel, Interior Media |
| Tata Standard (Old / New)11 m · diesel | Non-AC | 420 sq ft | Full Wrap, Rear Panel, Side Panel, Combo Panel |
| Tata Meddy9 m · diesel | Non-AC | 500 sq ft | Full Wrap, Rear Panel, Side Panel, Combo Panel |
| Tejaswini9 m · cng | Non-AC | 380 sq ft | Full Wrap, Rear Panel, Side Panel, Combo Panel |
| Force Tempo Traveller6 m · diesel | Non-AC | 220 sq ft | Full Wrap, Rear Panel, Side Panel |
Bars are relative to the largest wrap on this fleet. A solid purple bar is an area a supplier has quoted against; grey is our estimate from the vehicle dimensions.
Rates we hold
| Bus & format | City | Sq ft | Display / month | Print & mount | ₹ / sq ft |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full Wrap | Mumbai | 1200 | ₹5,10,000 – ₹6,00,000 | ₹52,000 – ₹60,000 | ₹462.50 |
| Full Wrap | Mumbai | - | ₹85,000 | ₹32,000 | - |
| Full Wrap | Mumbai | 550 | ₹32,000 – ₹52,000 | ₹13,000 – ₹15,000 | ₹76.36 |
| Full Wrap | Mumbai | 750 | ₹40,000 – ₹45,000 | ₹15,000 – ₹22,000 | ₹56.67 |
| Full Wrap | Mumbai | - | ₹42,000 | included | - |
| Rear Panel | Mumbai | 125 | ₹24,000 – ₹25,000 | ₹5,000 | ₹196.00 |
| Full Wrap | Mumbai | 500 | ₹30,000 | ₹10,000 | ₹60.00 |
Per bus, per 30 days, excluding GST at 18%.
Depots: 27
Why the depot matters
Buses are allotted from a depot, and the depot decides the routes. Choosing it is how you choose the audience.
| Depot | Areas covered | Bus types |
|---|---|---|
| Mumbai Central | Fort, Lamington Road, Ballard Pier, Mazgaon, Tardeo, Nehru Centre, Byculla | Marcopolo AC, Tata (rear panel) |
| Worli | Worli, Worli Naka, Prabhadevi, Lower Parel | Tata old/new (rear panel) |
| Wadala | Dadar TT, Dadar West, Wadala, Worli, Prabhadevi | Tata old/new (rear panel) |
| Bandra | Bandra internals, Khar, Reclamation, Mount Mary, Linking Road, CBD Belapur | Tata old/new (rear panel) |
| Santacruz | Wadala, Walkeshwar, JVPD Juhu, Colaba, BARC | Marcopolo Non-AC, Tata old (rear panel) |
| Oshiwara | Andheri West, Lokhandwala, Juhu, Versova, 4 & 7 Bungalows, Mantralaya | Force Tempo Traveller, Tata old (rear panel) |
| Goregaon | Link Road via Goregaon, Andheri, Santacruz, Vile Parle to Mantralaya and Hutatma Chowk | Tata old/new (rear panel) |
| Malad | Link Road, Malad West Station, Mindspace, Goregaon Station | Tata old/new (rear panel) |
| Poisar | Kandivali, Malad, Borivali through to Andheri and Juhu | Tata old/new (rear panel) |
| Malwani | Mainly Malad; some buses ply to Antop Hill and Wadala | Tata old/new (rear panel) |
| Gorai | Borivali West; some buses ply to Mulund | Marcopolo AC, Tata old |
| Magathane | North Mumbai: Kandivali, Borivali, Dahisar, Mira Road, Bhayandar (eastern belt) | Marcopolo AC, Tata old (rear panel) |
| Dindoshi | Eastern belt via Malad, Goregaon, Andheri, and Vashi | Force Tempo Traveller, Tata old (rear panel) |
| Majas | Andheri East: Chakala, Mahakali Caves, Powai, Chandivali, SEEPZ | Marcopolo CNG, Tata old (rear panel) |
| Marol | Andheri East via the airport, Colaba, Worli, Vikhroli, Ghatkopar, Mulund | Double Decker, Force Tempo Traveller, Tejaswini, Tata old (rear panel) |
| Dharavi | Bandra East and Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC), Mahim, Kurla, Byculla, VT, Mantralaya | Marcopolo Non-AC, Tejaswini, Tata old (rear panel) |
| Anik | Mostly long-distance routes: Mantralaya, Mazgaon, Trombay, WTC, Wadala | Marcopolo AC, Tata old (rear panel) |
| Pratiksha Nagar | Long-distance routes: Byculla, Mantralaya, Worli, Dadar, Walkeshwar, Vashi | Marcopolo Non-AC |
| Kurla | Kurla, Mulund, Andheri East, Vidyavihar, Chembur, Worli | Tata old/new (rear panel) |
| Ghatkopar | Vashi, Vikhroli, town, Andheri East, Nerul, Bandra | Marcopolo AC, Tata old/new (rear panel) |
| Shivaji Nagar | Long-distance routes to Mantralaya, Fort, Borivali, Bandra, WTC, Worli, Andheri East | Tata old/new (rear panel) |
| Deonar | Long-distance routes: Colaba, Ballard Pier, Byculla, Wadala, Thane, Nerul, Vashi | Marcopolo AC, Tata old/new (rear panel) |
| Vikhroli | Short routes: Vikhroli, Ghatkopar, Mulund, Chembur | Tata old/new (rear panel) |
| Mulund | Mulund, Bandra, Thane, SEEPZ, Andheri East, Bhandup | Marcopolo AC, Tata old/new (rear panel) |
| Kalakilla | Bandra East and Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC), Mahim, Kurla, Byculla, VT, Mantralaya | Tata old/new (rear panel) |
| Backbay | South Mumbai: Nariman Point, Mantralaya, Cuffe Parade, Churchgate Station, Colaba | Tata old/new (rear panel), Olectra |
| Colaba | Colaba, Navy Nagar, Walkeshwar, Malabar Hill | Double Decker, Force Tempo Traveller, Tejaswini, Tata old (rear panel) |
Where BEST runs
Other city fleets in Maharashtra
Advertising on BEST buses: what buyers ask
Who gives permission for bus advertising on BEST buses?
The operator does, because the operator owns the bus. MSRTC, BEST, PMPML and the municipal undertakings each award display rights on their own fleets, normally through a tender or an appointed agency, and that is the permission that actually governs whether your artwork goes on a bus. Separately, the municipal corporation licenses outdoor advertising in its own area — in Mumbai that sits under sections 328 and 328A of the BMC Act 1888 — and the rules differ from one corporation to the next. We handle the operator side of that. Tell us the city and we will tell you what the local corporation expects before you commit a budget. This is how it works in practice and not legal advice: confirm the current position for your campaign with the operator and your RTO.
How much does bus advertising cost on BEST buses?
It depends on the bus class and the format far more than on the city. Wrap area is the thing to compare: a PMPML Solus in Pune gives you 450 square feet, and an electric double-decker in Mumbai gives you 1,200, so the sensible comparison is rupees per square foot rather than rent per month. Where we hold a supplier-quoted rate we publish it on the page rather than making you ask. Where we do not, we say so and quote on request instead of inventing a number.
What is the minimum campaign duration?
One month, which is the standard minimum across every operator in Maharashtra. Three months is where the economics change, because printing and mounting is a one-time cost spread over a longer run and a longer commitment usually brings the monthly display rate down as well.
Can I choose which routes the buses run on?
You choose the depot, and the depot determines the routes. That is how transit campaigns are actually targeted. In Mumbai, BEST's depots map closely onto the city's commercial geography. In Pune, PMPML confirms bookings depot-wise only, so the depot choice is the entire plan. On MSRTC the unit above the depot is the division, which is how a campaign covering a whole district gets quoted. Our depot directory lists what each one covers.
How do I know the buses actually ran?
You get dated photographs at the start of the campaign and at intervals through it. Proof-of-posting standards vary widely in this industry — a couple of photos at the start and end, with nothing in between, is common. We treat it as part of the deliverable rather than a favour.
What artwork do you need, and when?
CDR or PDF, at least three days before the campaign starts and ideally earlier. Production runs four to seven working days from the point we have artwork, a purchase order and payment — counted from then, not from the day you brief us. Each bus class has its own template, which we supply. Changing the design once a campaign is running means printing and mounting is charged again in full, so lock the artwork before production starts.