BMRCL wanted to increase the fare prices by 105.15 per cent, or 14.02 per cent year-on-year, before discounts, which would have translated into a fare of Rs 21 and gone up to Rs 123 at maximum.
In a significant development for metro passengers in Karnatakaโs Bengaluru, the Namma Metro fares are slated to increase by up to 5 per cent every year, starting February 2026. The passengers are reported to be already upset following Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limitedโs (BMRCL) decision to hike the ticket prices by up to 71.43 per cent in February 2025, thus making the Namma Metro the most expensive metro in the country. Importantly, this hike comes as the first increase in fare after the last spike in the year 2017.
Fare Fixation Committeeย
The decision to increase the fares was taken by the BMRCL on the basis of the Fare Fixation Committeeโs report. Notably, the recommendation of FFC is binding on BMRCL under Section 33 of the Metro Railways (Operations and Maintenance) Act, 2002.
The FCC, which submitted its report on December 16, 2024, was headed by Justice (retired) R. Tharani.ย
BMRCL Wanted Steeper Price Hike
BMRCL wanted to increase the fare prices by 105.15 per cent, or 14.02 per cent year-on-year, before discounts, which would have translated into a fare of Rs 21 and gone up to Rs 123 at maximum.ย
However, the committee has kept the hike at 51.5 per cent, or 6.87 per cent year-on-year, before discounts. Therefore, the minimum fare has been fixed to a minimum of Rs 10 and the maximum to Rs 90.
The BMRCL has said, โAgainst the year-wise loan repayments of Rs 911 crore, Rs 1,338 crore, Rs 1,440 crore, and Rs 1,457 crore from FY 2025-56 to 2029-30, the cash available is only Rs 601 crore, Rs 917 crore, Rs 853 crore, and Rs 1,018 crore, respectively. Therefore, no cash accrual will be available to meet asset renewals and replacements. Thus, it is necessary to have an annual automatic fare revision formula to revise the fare based on the changes in the various elements of O&M (operations and maintenance) costs.โ