Bengaluru Metro set to become costliest in country again as fares rise by 5%

Bengaluru: Travelling on Bengaluru’s Namma Metro is set to become more expensive once again. The Karnataka government on Tuesday gave formal approval for a five per cent hike in metro fares, giving the green signal to a proposal submitted by the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL).

With this decision, revised ticket prices will come into effect from February 9, making Bengaluru Metro one of the costliest urban transport systems in India. The fare revision was earlier approved in a recent BMRCL board meeting, following which the proposal was sent to the state government for final clearance.

After receiving government approval today, BMRCL is expected to issue an official notification shortly, confirming the new fare structure. This is the second major fare revision in the last one year. In February 2025, metro fares had witnessed a massive hike of over 100 per cent, triggering widespread public outrage.

Following strong criticism from commuters, civic groups and political parties, BMRCL later rolled back the increase to 71.5 per cent. Despite the partial rollback, Bengaluru Metro continued to remain the most expensive metro network in the country.

Under the latest revision, ticket prices across all routes will go up by five per cent. For instance, the current fare from Majestic to Whitefield is Rs 80, which will now increase to Rs 84. Similarly, the minimum fare of Rs 10 will rise to Rs 11.

A ticket that currently costs Rs 90 will go up to Rs 95 after the hike. On the Majestic–Bommasandra route, the fare will increase from Rs 80 to Rs 84, while on the Majestic–Challaghatta stretch, the price will rise from Rs 60 to Rs 63.

The latest hike comes amid continuing political debate over who is responsible for rising metro fares. Last year, a bitter war of words had erupted between the ruling Congress government in Karnataka and the BJP-led Central government.

BJP leaders had blamed the state government for pushing the fare increase, while Congress leaders accused the Centre of forcing the hike through BMRCL policies. However, this time, the state government has openly approved the fare revision, ending any ambiguity over responsibility.

Commuters and citizen groups have already expressed disappointment over the decision, arguing that frequent fare hikes defeat the purpose of affordable public transport. Bengaluru Metro is widely used by office-goers, students and daily wage workers, and the increased cost is expected to put additional financial burden on regular passengers.

Transport experts have pointed out that Bengaluru’s metro fares are already higher than those in Delhi, Chennai and Hyderabad, despite comparable service quality. With the latest hike, Bengaluru is likely to further cement its position as the city with the most expensive metro travel in India.

While BMRCL has defended the decision citing rising operational costs and maintenance expenses, commuters fear that continuous fare hikes may push people back to private vehicles, worsening the city’s notorious traffic congestion.

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