Bengaluru: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Tejasvi Surya on Tuesday claimed that the Namma Metro fare hike is unfair. According to him, Bengaluru commuters
are paying 20–25 per cent more for metro services than passengers in cities like Mumbai and Delhi. He alleged that the recent fare increase has made commuters pay about Rs 150 crore extra since the revision, reported news agency PTI. "Even though the average fare increase remained 51.5 per cent, the most common journeys undertaken by commuters (falling in the 8-15 km slab) have seen an unjustified hike close to 70 per cent," the MP stated. On Tuesday, Tejasvi Surya met senior officials of the Bengaluru Metro (BMRCL) and urged them to reduce ticket prices so that Namma Metro becomes more affordable and accessible for everyone. Also Read: Andhra Teacher Forces Girl Students To Massage Feet: Viral Video Emerges He compared Bengaluru’s fares with those in other major cities, saying they are much higher. For example, in Bengaluru, a 20–25 km ride costs Rs 80, while in Delhi, a 32 km trip costs only Rs 64. In Mumbai, travelling 12–18 km costs Rs 30, but in Bengaluru, a 10–15 km ride already costs Rs 60 — nearly double. The highest fare in Mumbai is Rs 70, while in Bengaluru it is Rs 90 for trips beyond 25 km. Surya said metro fares in cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, and Nagpur are 25–50% cheaper than in Bengaluru.
During the meeting, BMRCL officials reportedly told him that most commuters in Bengaluru travel between 12 km and 15 km daily. Surya argued that fares could have been lower if BMRCL had used 2017–18 as the base year for fare revision instead of 2016–17. He said using the older base year made the fares go up more than necessary.
He explained that because of this, tickets that now cost Rs 50 could have been Rs 40, Rs 60 could have been Rs 50, and Rs 90 could have been Rs 70. BMRCL officials said they would review the data and take some time to respond to his concerns.
Bengaluru Metro Price Hike and Congress' Defense
In February, the Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) increased ticket prices by almost 125 per cent. After facing strong public criticism, it reduced the fares slightly a week later. However, many commuters still felt the fares were too high.
Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar said on Thursday that the state government was not involved in the fare hike. He explained that the decision had been made by an independent committee, not by the government.
"We don't have any role... There is a committee for deciding fares. We have expressed our opinion, but the committee will take the final decision," Shivakumar told reporters. His statement comes amid public debates on the fare increase and its impact on commuters.
Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) is a joint venture between the Central and Karnataka governments, with each holding a 50 per cent stake. According to a statement, officials from both central and state governments hold positions as managing directors and directors. Since BMRCL is an autonomous entity, the state government does not have complete control over it.
"Since there had been no fare revision since 2017, BMRCL approached the central government to request a revision. If the state government had the authority to determine fares, why would BMRCL seek approval from the central government instead of us?" a statement from Karnataka's CMO pointed out.
