Public outrage over Namma Metro fare hike

Bengaluru : Public outrage over 50% hike in Namma Metro ticket fare, Metro fare is higher than BMTC bus, Bengaluru Metro fare is the highest among metros in the country, people have expressed outrage that the fare hike will make it necessary for people to go back to their own vehicles. Namma Metro, 77 km long, is the 2nd longest metro in the country. An average of 8-9 lakh people travel daily. The Electronic City Metro will also be inaugurated soon, and the number of metro users will exceed 12 lakh.

In this situation, passengers have expressed widespread dissatisfaction over the huge increase in Namma Metro fare, which was affordable. The increase in metro fare is also likely to lead to increased use of bikes and cars, which may also lead to traffic congestion in the city. Instead of encouraging public transport, people are being made to turn away from the metro by increasing fares, metro users wrote on social networking site ‘X’.

Daily commuters have expressed their frustration that the increase in Namma Metro fares has reached 60-90 percent, not 50 percent. Techie Rajesh, who travels from Kadugodi to Baiyappanahalli, expressed his anger, ‘Earlier I used to pay Rs 33.25 for a ticket. Now I have to pay Rs 60, which is a 90 percent increase.’ Writing on ‘X’, Sharath Gautam sarcastically said that as a minister said in the House, we are paying taxes like English citizens and getting service like Somalia, which has been proven in the case of the metro as well.

Earlier, the fare from Kundanahalli to MG Road was Rs 37, now it is Rs 70. The increase in Namma Metro fares is a step backwards in the case of public transport, Vijay S said that the fare hike will further worsen the traffic congestion in Bengaluru. Earlier, it was Rs 57 from Sitarama Palya to Deepanjali Nagar. Now it is Rs 90, which is an increase of 60%.

What is the reason for such a hike? Passenger TVK Sanjay questioned.

Due to the fare hike, Bengaluru’s Namma Metro has become the most expensive in the country. Compared to Delhi, Chennai, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Lucknow, Kochi, Jaipur, the fare of ‘Namma Metro’ is expensive. Namma Metro has fixed a fare of Rs 90 for a journey after 25 km. Delhi Metro has a fare of Rs 60 for a journey of 32 km. Chennai Metro has a fare of Rs 50 respectively. The maximum fare of Kolkata 25-30 km Metro is only Rs 25. Kolkata Metro is considered the cheapest with a minimum fare of Rs 5 - maximum fare of Rs 50.

Tech City irony

The QR code discount has also been removed till Feb 8. In Namma Metro, 25.10% (as of December 2024) are using QR tickets, 46.60% of passengers are using smart cards (more than 1 crore). Only the 5% discount on smart cards continues. In 2020, BMRCL had reduced the metro smart card fare from 15% to 5%. However, in other metros, there is a QR code discount along with the smart card. It is ironic that the QR code discount has been removed in Bengaluru, which is known as the Tech City. There is a 20% discount on QR tickets and WhatsApp tickets in Chennai and Kochi Metro.

People have also expressed their dissatisfaction over the minimum amount on smart cards being fixed from Rs 50 to Rs 90. BMRCL has distributed more than 1 crore smart cards. The maximum amount for a 1-day pass has been increased from Rs 150 to Rs 300, a 3-day pass from Rs 350 to Rs 600 and a 5-day pass from Rs 550 to Rs 800.