Bengaluru civic groups slam proposed Metro 5pc fare hike: 'Metro lifeline, not luxury'

The ‘Save Bangalore Committee’ and ‘Bengaluru Metro Passengers’ Association’ have strongly condemned the proposal to increase fares of Namma Metro fares by five per cent or more in February.

A statement was issued to the press by the ‘Save Bangalore Committee’, undersigned by its convener G Shashi Kumar, in which it was said that the move would betray public trust and make daily commuters pay for the administration’s failures in mobilising resources from other sources to match the operating costs. It said it deals a blow to general commuters who are already coping with financial hardships.

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“This decision, if it comes, would be coming at a time when the citizens are grappling with persistent inflation and economic strain. This hike, if effected, would be coming just in a year's time after a whopping 71% hike as was seen previously as a tremendous onslaught on the already burdened Metro Commuters,” the press release said.

This move comes after recommendations by the Fare Fixation Committee (FFC), which was publicised recently.

'Morally bankrupt excuse'

The body also refused to buy the Metro authorities’ defence that it is bound by the FFC’s recommendation and Section 33 of the Metro Rail Act, 2002, and that a hike is imminent, calling it a “legally convenient but morally bankrupt excuse”.

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It said the Act doesn’t absolve the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) of its fundamental responsibility to the citizens of Bengaluru, adding that the committee’s recommendation is not a mandatory diktat but an advisory. It also asked the administration to challenge such advisories, keeping in mind the people’s inconvenience.

Fare hike will congest roads again: Civic group

The committee warned that the increase in fare will force many people to fall back on the traditional road transport, adding to an already alarming state of congestion, and defeating the very purpose for which the Metro is envisioned — to reduce traffic and pollution.

The metro fare hike will further distress the citizens who are already suffering from the rise in prices of essential commodities and inflation. For passengers who had seen a huge fare hike last year alone, increasing the fare again in just a year is a betrayal of public trust. The committee has accused the administration of cutting into the pockets of passengers to cover up its failure to mobilize resources.

Save Bangalore Committee to fight hike

The committee and the Metro passengers’ association demanded that the attempt to increase the fares stop and that the former will mobilise public opinion and explore democratic avenues to fight such “unjust” hike.

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“The metro must remain an affordable lifeline, not a luxury,” it said.

Regular passengers of Namma Metro have also expressed dismay over yet another likely increase in the fare, particularly after the sharp hike just a year ago.

According to a report by Deccan Herald published in September 2025, BMRCL had sought an annual, automatic fare revision based on a transparent formula in order to improve its operating ratio steadily, cautioning that without such steps, its net loss could reach Rs 577 crore by 2029-30.

(The article was first published in The Federal Karnataka)