BJP National Youth President Tejasvi Surya met Union Minister Manohar Lal Khattar to oppose the Congress-led Karnataka government’s decision to raise Bengaluru Metro fares. Surya highlighted errors in fare calculations and demanded the reconstitution of the Fare Fixation Committee for the city’s Metro network. The fare hike, effective from February 9, has led to a 50% increase in average fares and raised the maximum fare to Rs 90, making Bengaluru Metro the most expensive in the country.
Surya emphasized the need to rectify anomalies in fare calculations and rationalize fares for the public interest. He urged the government to suspend the annual fare hike until the issues are addressed. The memorandum submitted by Surya pointed out arithmetic errors in the fare revision methodology, mainly due to the selection of the wrong base year for operating costs computation. Despite multiple flags raised on these errors, the Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) has not corrected the anomalies, resulting in commuters being overcharged.
The BMRCL officially increased fares by five percent, effective from February 9, to ensure financial sustainability and service reliability. This small annual revision aims to align fares with inflation and operating costs gradually, avoiding sudden and significant fare hikes in the future. Surya’s efforts to address the fare hike issue have garnered attention, with the Union Minister assuring a positive consideration of the matter.
