BENGALURU: Close on the heels of BMTC announcing a fare hike of 15%, Bengaluru Metro which has emerged as a crucial public transport system for the city, is also likely to increase its fare from January 18. The Fare Fixation Committee, appointed to revise the fare structure, has recommended a hike of nearly 20% in its final report submitted to the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) a couple of days ago, said sources. This needs to be approved by the BMRCL Board, which meets on January 17.
A reliable source told TNIE, “The Committee was appointed under the Metro Act 2002 and its recommendations are binding on BMRCL. The Board is likely to approve it as the fare is being hiked after seven-and-a-half years. This cannot be viewed as a substantial hike if we consider the fact that the Consumer Price Index (CPI) in the country has gone up by 45% in the years following the previous hike.”
The previous hike of 10-15% was effected on June 18, 2017. The minimum fare on Namma Metro’s 76.95-km network is Rs 10 at present and the maximum fare is Rs 60 with travel card users given a 5% discount on it.
The three-member committee is headed by retired Madras High Court judge Justice R Tharani and its members are Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs Satyendra Pal Singh and former Additional Chief Secretary, Karnataka, EV Ramana Reddy. It had a deadline of December 15, 2024 to submit its recommendations and it sought two weeks to submit its final report.
The committee had visited Delhi, Singapore and Hong Kong Metro networks to study their fare structure and the revision methodology being followed by the respective Metro Rail systems.
BMRCL MD Maheshwar Rao declined to speak about the proposed hike despite multiple calls and messages. The committee members too chose to remain tightlipped about the report.
The huge investment in expanding the network, the interest being paid to all funding agencies and banks, the monthly operational cost of nearly Rs 50 crore (inclusive of the Rs 7 crore monthly expense incurred to provide security at its stations and trains), maintenance incurred on its network and salaries of staff have all been taken into consideration while recommending the revision, it is understood.
“If the public want the quality of service provided by BMRCL to continue, then they must be willing to pay for it. If the fare is not hiked then the State government only will have to bear the losses incurred as the centre will not fund operational costs,” said another source.