<p>Starting February 2026, Namma Metro fares will automatically rise by up to 5% each year, based on the Fare Fixation Committee’s (FFC) recommendation. This aims to prevent the kind of steep and sudden hike that commuters endured in February 2025, when fares were raised by up to 71% – the first revision since 2017. That increase made Bengaluru’s metro India’s costliest and provoked widespread public anger. The new formula offers predictability and financial stability for the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL). With heavy loan repayments and limited cash reserves, the corporation cannot sustain operations without assured revenues. For commuters, smaller, regular hikes are less painful than infrequent, sharp jumps.</p>.<p>Knowing that fares will rise by a fixed percentage annually makes planning easier and avoids sudden shocks. However, accounting principles should not be mistaken for sound public policy. The metro is not just a business venture. Public transport must remain affordable, accessible, and inclusive. By offering a safe, fast, and sustainable alternative to private vehicles, it helps cut congestion and pollution in a city gasping for clean air. Rising fares may prompt daily riders, particularly low-income groups, to switch back to two-wheelers, undermining the very purpose of building the metro. The state government must therefore strike a balance between BMRCL’s financial viability and commuters’ affordability. Subsidies, rather than ever-rising fares, should form the bedrock of this balance. Karnataka is already spending heavily on the Shakti scheme, which has cost more than Rs 12,600 crore since its launch in 2023 to provide free bus rides for women, irrespective of their income. While empowering women’s mobility is vital, the state must also consider redirecting or rationalising part of this expenditure to support metro fares, ensuring the system does not become exclusionary.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Targeted discounts can further cushion the blow for vulnerable groups and make fares more equitable. Special incentives, such as integrated passes across buses and metro, would also make multimodal transport seamless and cheaper, nudging more commuters towards public transit. Financial stability of the metro corporation is important, but it cannot be the sole guiding principle. Public transport is an investment in the city’s future, in cleaner air, shorter commutes, and more equitable growth. Bengaluru cannot afford a metro that runs on time but runs out of reach for the very people it was meant to serve. If urban mobility is to be sustainable, the state must treat the metro not merely as a profit-driven enterprise, but as a lifeline for a city already choking on traffic and pollution.</p>
<p>Starting February 2026, Namma Metro fares will automatically rise by up to 5% each year, based on the Fare Fixation Committee’s (FFC) recommendation. This aims to prevent the kind of steep and sudden hike that commuters endured in February 2025, when fares were raised by up to 71% – the first revision since 2017. That increase made Bengaluru’s metro India’s costliest and provoked widespread public anger. The new formula offers predictability and financial stability for the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL). With heavy loan repayments and limited cash reserves, the corporation cannot sustain operations without assured revenues. For commuters, smaller, regular hikes are less painful than infrequent, sharp jumps.</p>.<p>Knowing that fares will rise by a fixed percentage annually makes planning easier and avoids sudden shocks. However, accounting principles should not be mistaken for sound public policy. The metro is not just a business venture. Public transport must remain affordable, accessible, and inclusive. By offering a safe, fast, and sustainable alternative to private vehicles, it helps cut congestion and pollution in a city gasping for clean air. Rising fares may prompt daily riders, particularly low-income groups, to switch back to two-wheelers, undermining the very purpose of building the metro. The state government must therefore strike a balance between BMRCL’s financial viability and commuters’ affordability. Subsidies, rather than ever-rising fares, should form the bedrock of this balance. Karnataka is already spending heavily on the Shakti scheme, which has cost more than Rs 12,600 crore since its launch in 2023 to provide free bus rides for women, irrespective of their income. While empowering women’s mobility is vital, the state must also consider redirecting or rationalising part of this expenditure to support metro fares, ensuring the system does not become exclusionary.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Targeted discounts can further cushion the blow for vulnerable groups and make fares more equitable. Special incentives, such as integrated passes across buses and metro, would also make multimodal transport seamless and cheaper, nudging more commuters towards public transit. Financial stability of the metro corporation is important, but it cannot be the sole guiding principle. Public transport is an investment in the city’s future, in cleaner air, shorter commutes, and more equitable growth. Bengaluru cannot afford a metro that runs on time but runs out of reach for the very people it was meant to serve. If urban mobility is to be sustainable, the state must treat the metro not merely as a profit-driven enterprise, but as a lifeline for a city already choking on traffic and pollution.</p>
