Bengaluru Metro fare panel submits final report with fare hike proposal

Bengaluru: A three-member government-appointed committee has recommended increasing Namma Metro train fares in its final report. 

The committee comprised Justice (Retired) Justice R Tharani, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs Additional Secretary Satinder Pal Singh, and (Retired) IAS officer from Karnataka, EV Ramana Reddy. 

Constituted under sections 33 and 34 of the Metro Railway (Operations and Maintenance) Act, 2002, this was Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited's (BMRCL) first fare fixation committee. 

Citizens were asked to give suggestions by October 28. 

The committee submitted its final report at the end of its tenure on December 16, a senior BMRCL official in the know said. 

The official confirmed that the committee has recommended a fare hike, but declined to specify how much. 

The official explained that a fare revision is necessary due to rising expenses and the need to service debt. 

Namma Metro fares were last revised in June 2017 by 10-15%. 

"It's been seven-and-a-half years since the last fare revision. During this time, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) has increased significantly," the official said. 

The CPI, which stood at 132 points in June 2017, reached 196.5 points by November 2024. 

Currently, the minimum fare is Rs 10 and the maximum Rs 60. The maximum fare applies to the longest journey on both Purple and Green lines. Even though the Whitefield-Challaghatta distance is 43.49 km and the Silk Institute-Madavara distance is 30.46 km, their fare is the same (Rs 60). 

The official added that the committee's report would be discussed at the BMRCL board, which would take the final decision on fare revision.