Commuters launch campaign against Metro fare hike in Bengaluru
BENGALURU: With the revised fare for Bengaluru Metro, coming into effect from Sunday, turning out to be the costliest among all Metros, netizens on Sunday launched a #RevokeMetroFareHike campaign on social media. Bengaluru MPs reiterated that the fare hike is steep and unjustified.
Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya posted on X, “Karnataka government instead of incentivising public transport and discouraging private vehicles, is doing the exact opposite with the Metro fare hike. Bengaluru Metro fares should be at par with other metros in the country.
While commuters in Delhi pay Rs 30 for a 12 km ride, Bengaluru will have to pay Rs 60 - double the amount. A 50% hike with maximum fare going from Rs 60 to Rs 90 is totally unjustified.” No other metro in the country charges this high, nothing beyond Rs 60 and the hike is extremely steep, he added.
Billing it as “an unfair burden”, Bengaluru Central MP PC Mohan demanded transparency and demanded that the Fare Fixation Committee Report be published. “BMRCL must introduce monthly, quarterly and annual passes to reduce the commuters’ financial burden. This will promote public transport use, reward loyalty with discounts and provide BMRCL with low-cost working capital,” he suggested.
Costliest fare of all Metro networks
Among the important Metro networks in the country, Kolkata Metro offers the cheapest travel with the minimum fare at Rs 5 and the maximum at Rs 50. Its maximum fare for travel beyond 25 km up to 30 km is just Rs 25. Comparatively, Chennai Metro charges Rs 50 for 25 km, Delhi Metro Rs 60 while Bengaluru Metro’s new fare now charges Rs 90.