Arushi Srivastava, a college student lamented that her daily metro fare from Pattengere to MG Road has doubled from ₹38 to ₹60. “I’m now reconsidering using shared mobility services as it would be convenient,” she said.

Like Arushi, daily commuters of Bengaluru Metro raised concerns over an increased financial burden following the recent price hike. Commuters who relied on the metro to avoid traffic congestion and long travel times noted that even if fare revisions capped at a 70 per cent increase, the impact has been minimal.

Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) introduced fare hikes on February 9, increasing the maximum fare from ₹60 to ₹90. The Fare Fixation Committee submitted a report recommending this revised fare structure. This revision covered rising operational costs, including staff costs, comprised 61 per cent. This has increased by 42 per cent since 2017, owing to inflation and wage revisions.

However, this decision affected many, including Sujay Sudharshan, a local marketing professional who regularly travelled from Konanakunte Cross to Sampige Road on the Green Line. He is opting to use his bike instead.

“I relied on the metro to escape the gridlock. But with rising fares, I am left wondering should sustainability be a privilege rather than a choice?” he said.

Similarly, Pritwish Roy, a media professional who recently moved to Bengaluru, previously spent ₹23 per day commuting from Singanayyapalya to Trinity. With the fare hike, his daily expenses rose to ₹50. As a result, his monthly metro cost has surged from approximately ₹500 to over ₹2,000.

“Considering alternative routes is still expensive, even if I consider bike cab services. I cannot afford bus services as it will take more time. This price hike has affected my monthly expenses by a large margin. Even on weekends, when I have to travel, switching to the green lines costs more than usual. It has been a difficult time managing my savings with increasing travel expenses.”

Meanwhile, Bengaluru Metro’s daily ridership, which averaged over 8 lakhs in January 2025, declined to 7.5 lakh passengers on February 20, according to data from BMRCL’s official website. A comparison of metro ridership on February 22 (Saturday) shows it stood at nearly 6.7 lakh, whereas on February 8 (Saturday), it was 8.07 lakh.

Responding to concerns, a BMRCL official said, “When we received complaints from users, it was a concern, and the fares were subsequently capped at a maximum of 71.43 percent. This decision falls within the ambit of the Fair Fixation Committee and aligns with the legal framework of the Act. We are monitoring ridership variations after the fare revision for a detailed analysis while also observing month-to-month and week-to-week fluctuations. Such variations have always existed, and we are continuously analysing trends before drawing any conclusions”

KN Krishnaprasad, Railway Activist and Convenor of Karnataka Railway Vedike, condemned this increase, observing the effect on middle class commuters.

“In Chennai metro, card holders get 20 per cent discount. In Karnataka, they have classified it into peak hour and non-peak hour with 5 per cent and 10 per cent discount respectively. They reduced the discount for card holders from 15 per cent to only 5 per cent. They have reduced the hikes by some per cent, but this is still less when people travel longer distances. This hike induces people to use private transport.”

Krishnaprasad said that the quality of public transport is inversely proportional to the usage of private vehicles.

“This will reduce traffic and decrease pollution as well. In the public interest, I only urge BMRCL to reduce the prices if there is any scope.”

Published on February 23, 2025