BMTC Bus Types Guide: Vajra, Vayu Vajra, AC, Electric & Ordinary
BMTC runs six main bus types, from the everyday non-AC Bengaluru Sarige to the premium AC Vajra and the airport Vayu Vajra. Here is what each one is, where it runs and who rides it.
If you have ever wondered why one BMTC bus is blue and another is a sleek AC coach, the answer is that the fleet is split into different bus types, each built for a different kind of trip. Across more than 7,000 buses, BMTC groups its services into six main families. Knowing them helps you pick the right ride, and it also shows who you reach if you ever brand one.
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Main types | 6 service families across 7,000+ buses |
| Ordinary | Bengaluru Sarige, non-AC, Rs 3 to 11, free for women |
| AC city | Vajra, roughly Rs 10 to 25 per trip |
| Airport | Vayu Vajra, about 25 routes to the airport |
| Electric | Astra, part of ~1,800 e-buses |
All six types at a glance
Six families: Bengaluru Sarige, Samparka, Astra, Vajra, Vayu Vajra and Bengaluru Darshini.
The quickest way to read the fleet is by air conditioning and purpose. Three families are non-AC and built for everyday city travel, and three are AC, aimed at comfort, the airport or sightseeing. The table below lays them side by side.
| Type | Class | Fare (approx) | Livery | Where it runs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bengaluru Sarige | Non-AC | Rs 3 to 11 | Blue and white | Citywide, all corridors |
| Samparka | Non-AC | Ordinary fare | Orange | Short neighbourhood hops |
| Astra | Electric | Rs 3 to 11 | Green or violet and white | Mixed city routes |
| Vajra | AC | Rs 10 to 25 | Light blue | Tech parks, ring road, main roads |
| Vayu Vajra | AC | Varies by stop | Light blue | About 25 airport routes |
| Bengaluru Darshini | AC | Tour fare | Branded coach | City landmark loop |
Ordinary: Bengaluru Sarige and Samparka
The non-AC backbone, carrying the widest mix of riders across every part of the city.
Bengaluru Sarige is the plain blue and white bus most people picture. It runs everywhere, charges the least, and is free for women and transgender riders under the Shakti scheme. Samparka is its smaller cousin: orange mini buses that feed neighbourhoods into the nearest bus station on short routes.
Want your brand on Bengaluru's buses?
Get a route plan, format recommendation and pricing, usually within a minute.
Vajra: the AC city service
The air-conditioned Volvo and Switch buses, built for longer, comfortable city runs.
BMTC was the first state operator in India to put AC buses on city roads, starting Vajra in 2006. The service began on the IT corridor and still leans towards tech parks, the Outer Ring Road and main arterial routes. Fares sit well above ordinary buses, and the Shakti free-travel scheme does not apply here.
The split between ordinary and Vajra is really a split between two audiences. One bus carries the whole city; the other concentrates the office and tech crowd onto a handful of premium corridors.
Vayu Vajra: the airport service
The AC airport shuttle, about 25 routes linking the city to Kempegowda International Airport.
Vayu Vajra is the bus you take to or from the airport. You can spot it by the BIAS board on the front, and routes carry a KIA prefix such as KIA-8 or KIA-9. The service runs roughly 250 trips a day from points like Majestic, Marathahalli, Hebbal and Electronic City, with fares set by where you board.
Astra electric and Bengaluru Darshini
The newest families: clean electric buses and an AC sightseeing service.
Astra is BMTC's non-AC electric line, wearing a light green or violet and white livery and charging ordinary fares. It is part of a fleet of around 1,800 electric buses, about one in five on the road. Bengaluru Darshini is the odd one out, an AC sightseeing bus that loops the city's landmarks for tourists rather than commuters.
| Type | What it is | Who it is for |
|---|---|---|
| Astra | Non-AC electric, ordinary fare, green or violet livery | Everyday riders, eco-minded commuters |
| Bengaluru Darshini | AC sightseeing loop of city landmarks | Tourists and visitors |
Which type suits which advertiser
Each bus type is really an audience, so the right format depends on who you want to reach.
This is where the guide turns useful for brands. Because every family carries a distinct crowd, picking a bus type is a targeting decision before it is a creative one. The table maps each type to the audience it delivers.
| Bus type | Audience it reaches | Strong fit for |
|---|---|---|
| Bengaluru Sarige | Mass, all incomes, citywide | FMCG, retail, regional and vernacular campaigns |
| Vajra | IT and higher-income commuters | Tech, fintech, real estate, D2C brands |
| Vayu Vajra | Air and business travellers, visitors | Hospitality, travel, banking, telecom |
| Astra | Everyday riders with a green tilt | Sustainability and EV led brands |
| Samparka | Hyperlocal neighbourhood residents | Local stores, clinics, area launches |
To match a campaign to the right fleet, our bus branding solutions plan by bus type and route. You can also read what BMTC is for the wider network, or pick a neighbourhood such as Koramangala.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many types of BMTC buses are there?+
BMTC runs six main service types: Bengaluru Sarige (ordinary non-AC), Samparka (mini non-AC), Astra (electric non-AC), Vajra (AC city), Vayu Vajra (AC airport) and Bengaluru Darshini (AC sightseeing).
What is the difference between Vajra and Vayu Vajra?+
Vajra is the AC city service on routes like tech corridors and main roads. Vayu Vajra is the AC airport shuttle, marked with a BIAS board, running about 25 routes between the city and Kempegowda International Airport.
Are BMTC AC buses free for women?+
No. The Shakti scheme covers only ordinary non-AC buses for women and transgender residents of Karnataka. AC services such as Vajra and Vayu Vajra are not included and still charge full fare.
What is Bengaluru Sarige?+
Bengaluru Sarige is the standard non-AC bus and the backbone of the fleet. It runs across the whole city in blue and white, with stage-based fares of roughly Rs 3 to 11 per trip.
What are Astra buses?+
Astra is BMTC's non-AC electric service. The buses wear a light green or violet and white livery and carry ordinary fares, forming part of a fleet of around 1,800 electric buses.
How much do BMTC tickets cost?+
Ordinary buses cost about Rs 3 to 11 per trip and AC Vajra fares run roughly Rs 10 to 25. Fares are stage-based, rising about every 2 km, while Vayu Vajra airport fares depend on the boarding point.
Bus Branding Glossary
- Full bus branding (wrap)
- A full vehicle wrap covering both sides and the rear of the bus, the highest-impact, most visible format.
- Bus back / rear branding
- Advertising on the rear panel of the bus, in the line of sight of traffic queued behind it at signals and junctions.
- Side panel branding
- Branding on one or both side panels of the bus body, facing pedestrians and parallel traffic along the route.
- Vajra / AC service
- BMTC's premium air-conditioned (Volvo / Vayu Vajra) services, carrying a higher-income commuter set on IT and airport corridors.
- TTMC
- Traffic and Transit Management Centre, a large BMTC bus terminal where many routes start, terminate and interchange.
- Depot
- The BMTC facility where buses are parked, serviced and from which many local routes originate.
- Dwell time
- How long a bus stays in view of a stationary crowd, at a stop, signal or in slow traffic, which lengthens brand exposure.
- Corridor
- A main arterial road (e.g. the Outer Ring Road or Hosur Road) that a bus route runs along, defining who sees the branding.
How to run a BMTC bus branding campaign
Five simple steps from enquiry to a live, tracked campaign on Bengaluru's buses.
- 1
Pick your area & audience
Tell us the Bengaluru area or corridor you want to reach and who you're targeting, IT professionals, shoppers, students or residents.
- 2
Choose a format
Select a format, full bus wrap, rear panel, side panel or premium AC/Vajra service, based on your budget and the impact you want.
- 3
Select routes & bus count
We map the high-frequency routes and stops that cover your audience and recommend how many buses to brand.
- 4
Approve the creative
Share your artwork (or we help design it). We prepare it to BMTC specifications and get the approvals.
- 5
Go live & get proof
We print, wrap and deploy the buses, then share proof of display so you can see your brand on the road.
Bus Branding Formats
Choose how your brand rides, pick the format that fits your goal and budget.
Bus Branding Across Bengaluru
We run BMTC bus branding in every major Bengaluru neighbourhood. Explore more areas:
Outdoor & Transit Advertising Specialists
We plan, design and run BMTC bus branding campaigns across every major Bengaluru corridor, matching brands to the routes, formats and audiences that deliver the most visibility.
Discover More
Brand Awareness vs Response Campaigns on Buses
What bus branding does best: awareness or direct response? A comparison of the two campaign types on buses, why a moving vehicle favours brand-building, and how to blend both.
Geo-Targeting With Bus Routes: Advertising Where Your Customers Are
A bus route is a geo-targeting tool you can drive. How to map your customers to the routes they use, think in catchments instead of points, and stack corridors to cover a neighbourhood or a whole city.
Setting Campaign Objectives Before You Advertise
Why setting one clear objective before you advertise decides everything: awareness vs consideration vs response, how each maps to a different message, format and KPI, and how to write a SMART objective.