Put your message on the roads people use every day

Bus advertising puts your brand in front of drivers, passengers and pedestrians along the whole route, every day your campaign runs. Multi Media plans and buys bus campaigns across Australia, metro and regional, and builds them into wider plans with billboard, out of home, radio and programmatic.

Bus advertising formats

Panel names vary by media owner and by side of the bus.

Back panels

Also sold as bus backs, fullbacks or rears. Seen by drivers stopped or following behind.

Side panels

Kerbside, roadside (offside) and portrait sides. More room for image and copy, seen up close at the stop.

Megasides

The complete side of the bus in one design.

Superbus full wraps

Sides, rear and sometimes the windows. The most presence on a route.

Bus shelters

Panels at the stop, booked as street furniture alongside bus panels.

Bus shelter advertising

Bus shelters and bus stops

Bus shelter panels sit at the stop and are seen by people waiting, walking and driving past. They run well alongside bus panels in the same campaign, so the message follows people from the street to the bus. See our billboard advertising page for more on street furniture.

Bus advertising costs

Costs depend on the panel, the number of buses, the market and the length of the campaign. As a guide, rate card per bus for a four-week booking, excluding GST and production:

Panel Also called Rate card, 4 weeks
Bus back Fullback, rear About $2,400
Megaside Complete side, offside display About $4,550
Superbus Full wrap About $32,500

These are rate card prices and the starting point for a quote. Negotiated rates are lower and depend on availability, the number of buses and how close the booking is to the start date. Production and installation is quoted separately, at about $1,000 for a back, about $2,200 for a megaside and about $10,500 for a superbus wrap. We get quotes from the media owners and tell you what each option delivers before you book.

Bus advertising across Australia

Bus advertising Sydney

Campaigns can run by region or route group, such as the Inner West, North Shore, Western Sydney and the Central Coast, so the buses travel the suburbs where your customers live.

Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide

Each capital has its own bus operators and media owners. Campaigns are booked by route group or by number of buses.

Regional and smaller markets

Fewer buses and usually lower rates than the capitals. Some markets also have independent suppliers outside the large networks, and we check both.

Bus advertising and brand recall

White Fox has run the same campaign on Sydney bus backs, bus stops and billboards for years, and it has become a running joke online. news.com.au reports that it caused extensive online discussion, ABC’s Gruen covered the strategy, and the Betoota Advocate satirised it. Rival Showpo then ran a bus back ad that referenced it and went viral, and Showpo says it delivered its best Black Friday sales. Consistent creative repeated on the same routes builds recognition, and a bus back is one of the most cost effective places to do it.

Bus media owners we buy through

We buy bus advertising through the transit media owners and independent suppliers in regional markets, and compare routes and quotes across them.

GoTransit bus advertising GoTransit
JCDecaux bus advertising JCDecaux

How to advertise on a bus

  1. Brief. You tell us the audience, the area, the budget and the dates.
  2. Plan. We match routes and formats to your audience and send a recommendation.
  3. Negotiate and book. We get quotes from the media owners, negotiate the rates and book the buses.
  4. Creative. We send you the panel specifications and check your artwork before it goes to print.
  5. Run and report. We track the install dates and send proof of posting and a campaign report.

Measuring bus advertising

Bus campaigns are measured against the goal in the brief. Awareness and recall come from brand tracking or a survey. Response comes from branded search, web visits and a dedicated URL or QR code on the panel. Store visits and sales come from foot traffic and sales data in the campaign area.

Bus advertising FAQs

Costs depend on the format, the number of buses, the routes and the length of the campaign. As a guide, rate card per bus for four weeks is about $2,400 for a back, about $4,550 for a megaside and about $32,500 for a full superbus wrap. Rate card is a starting point only. Negotiated rates are much lower and depend on availability and the number of buses. Rates exclude GST and production.

Sydney rates are higher than regional markets because of the audience size and the demand for routes. Negotiated rates for back panels start from about $500 per bus a month. The final cost depends on the region or route group, the number of buses and the dates.

Bus advertising is booked through the transit media owners that hold the fleet rights, and not through the bus operators directly. We send your brief to the owners, compare routes and quotes, book the buses and manage the artwork and installation.

Most bus campaigns run for four weeks or more, and longer bookings usually get better rates. The dates depend on the media owner and on which buses are available on your routes.

Sizes depend on the format and the bus type. We send the exact specifications from the media owner before your artwork is finalised.

Bus advertising works for local reach and frequency because the same routes are driven every day. It suits awareness campaigns, store and event promotion and campaigns that support search and social activity in the same area. We set the measurement against your goal in the brief.

Yes. Regional markets have fewer buses, and rates are usually lower than in the capitals. Some regional markets also have independent suppliers outside the large networks, and we check both before we recommend a buy.

Book a strategy call

Tell us your market and budget and we will come back with bus advertising options.

Book a strategy call Request a proposal

Call +61 2 9954 1900

Our Media Services

We do more than just buy media – we take our client’s data to create a communication strategy and media plan that takes into account seasonality, flighting, audience recall. Once we have the right formula of data, we negotiate and purchase the media on their behalf, and then audit the feedback – constantly adjusting to multiply results.