AIS 140 is the Automotive Industry Standard issued by MoRTH that specifies the Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) device requirements for commercial vehicles in India. It mandates a GPS tracking unit with emergency panic button, tamper-proof enclosure, and real-time data transmission to the government VAHAN server.
Karnataka adopted the AIS 140 standard in line with the national rollout, with the Karnataka Transport Department and regional RTOs taking over enforcement. KSRTC was an early adopter, integrating AIS 140 telematics across its entire intercity fleet.
ARAI Certified · Karnataka Ready
These vehicle categories operating in Karnataka must have a valid AIS 140 certified GPS device fitted and active:
All Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation buses and private stage carriages must be fitted with AIS 140 GPS integrated with the KSRTC Bengaluru control room.
Goods carriages operating on state and national highways in Karnataka must have AIS 140 devices with emergency buttons as mandated by MoRTH and Karnataka RTO.
Karnataka mandates AIS 140 GPS with panic button in all school buses under Rule 89A. Real-time data must be accessible to the school management and transport department.
Ola, Uber, Rapido, and all other aggregator vehicles operating in Karnataka must have AIS 140 compliant tracking and be linked to the state aggregator portal.
Non-compliant commercial vehicles are subject to fines under Section 177 of the Motor Vehicles Act. Karnataka RTO also has the authority to cancel permits and fitness certificates for repeat offenders.
From 2023 onwards, Karnataka RTOs have linked AIS 140 device verification to the annual fitness certificate renewal process. No valid AIS 140 device means no fitness certificate.
KSRTC and district-level RTOs have dedicated control rooms that receive live data from AIS 140 devices. Dhundhoo's platform integrates seamlessly with these portals.
Bengaluru traffic police and BBMP have pushed for stricter enforcement of AIS 140 among app-based taxi aggregators and school bus operators within the BBMP zone since 2024.
AIS 140 standard published by MoRTH; Karnataka adopts the roadmap
New commercial vehicles from OEMs must ship with AIS 140 pre-fitted
Karnataka RTO begins issuing notices for retrofit compliance to existing fleet
KSRTC integrates AIS 140 telematics across its entire intercity bus fleet
Karnataka introduces stricter enforcement; permit renewal linked to AIS 140 compliance
Full enforcement: zero-tolerance for non-compliant commercial vehicles across Karnataka districts
All commercial vehicles operating under a Karnataka RTO permit — including KSRTC buses, school buses, contract carriages, app-based taxis, goods vehicles, and ambulances — must have an AIS 140 certified GPS device installed.
The Karnataka Transport Department (KTD) and regional RTOs enforce AIS 140 compliance. KSRTC has its own control room that integrates live data from AIS 140 devices fitted in state buses.
The device transmits real-time GPS coordinates, speed, direction, ignition status, and emergency/panic button alerts to the MoRTH VAHAN server and the Karnataka state monitoring portal.
All new commercial vehicles leaving the factory after the mandated date must have AIS 140 devices. Existing fleet vehicles must retrofit before fitness certificate renewal is issued. Karnataka RTOs have been actively enforcing this from 2020 onwards.
Dhundhoo provides ARAI-certified AIS 140 devices with doorstep installation across Karnataka including Bengaluru, Mysuru, Mangaluru, Hubballi, and Belagavi. Our platform integrates with VAHAN and provides live fleet dashboards in addition to government compliance reporting.