Tejasvi Surya seeks reconstitution of Bengaluru Metro fare panel, flags errors in hike

Bengaluru: Bengaluru South BJP MP Tejasvi Surya on Friday urged Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to reconstitute the Fare Fixation Committee (FFC) for the Metro Rail, citing serious anomalies in the recent fare revision, which he said have placed an undue financial burden on commuters.

He made similar representations to Union Urban Affairs Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar and BMRCL Managing Director J Ravishankar.

In his letter, Surya flagged concerns over the fare revision recommended by the 2025 Fare Fixation Committee, constituted under the Metro Railway Operations and Maintenance Act, 2002, which came into effect on February 9, 2025. He pointed out that the revision led to an average fare increase of around 50 per cent and raised the maximum fare from Rs 260 to Rs 290, making the Bengaluru Metro the most expensive in the country.

“This revision, calculated on the basis of the 2016 DMRC Fare Fixation Committee's formula, has resulted in an average increase of fares by 50 per cent and raised the maximum fare from 260 to 290. This has also made Bengaluru metro the most expensive in the country,” he wrote.

The BJP leader noted that, at the request of BMRCL, the FFC had also recommended an automatic annual fare revision of up to 5 per cent to meet operational and maintenance expenses. He cautioned that this annual hike, scheduled to take effect next month, would further compound the burden on daily commuters.

Surya said a detailed examination of the FFC report revealed “multiple arithmetic errors” in the revised fare calculations. According to him, these errors originated primarily from the selection of an incorrect base year, 2016–17, for computing operating costs, leading to a deviation from standard fare revision methodology.

“Despite these errors being flagged multiple times, including during in-person meetings, BMRCL has not corrected the anomalies, resulting in commuters being continuously overcharged,” he added.

Surya appealed to the Chief Minister to constitute a new Fare Fixation Committee to rectify the errors and rationalise metro fares. He also requested that the proposed automatic annual fare hike be put on hold until the fare structure is reviewed and corrected in the interest of the public.