After buses, Namma Metro and Bengaluru’s autorickshaw unions push for fare hikes

A BMRCL source said, “This fare revision comes after seven and a half years. Considering a 45 per cent rise in the consumer price index since the last hike, this increase is not significant.”

The last revision, implemented on June 18, 2017, raised fares by 10-15 per cent. Namma Metro fares range from Rs 10 to Rs 60, with a five per cent discount for travel card users.

The committee was chaired by Justice R Tharani, retired judge of the Madras High Court, and had as members Satyendra Pal Singh, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, and E V Ramana Reddy, former additional chief secretary of Karnataka. The committee, which had got an extension to its December 15 deadline, analysed fare revision methodologies used by metros in Delhi, Singapore, and Hong Kong, said a BMRCL official.

The fare hike recommendation accounts for several factors, including the massive investment in network expansion, monthly operational costs of nearly Rs 50 crore (including Rs 7 crore for station and train security), staff salaries, and interest payments to funding agencies.

Autorickshaw unions in the city have also urged the state government to consider their demand to increase fares as the tariffs of other mobility services have been hiked.

“The last revision was done in 2021. We are demanding the fare be revised from Rs 30 per km to Rs 40 for the first 2 km. In Shivamogga and Mangaluru, the base fare has been Rs 40 since 2023,” said Autorickshaw Drivers Union general secretary Rudra Murthy.

He said a meeting with transport department officials scheduled for December 23, 2024, to discuss the fare hike had been postponed.