In a bid to maintain fiscal health amid escalating expenses, Bengaluru Metro fares will go up by 5% from February 9, as declared by BMRCL. This routine annual tweak underscores the corporation’s commitment to sustainable operations without jolting regular users.
According to insights from BMRCL spokesperson BL Yashwant Chavan, the fare formula—pegged between 4-5% yearly—revealed a potential 10% escalation this time. Capped at 5% per FFC mandates, the change affects all slabs: minimum fare to ₹11 from ₹10, maximum to ₹95 from ₹90.
The backdrop includes FFC’s transformative 7.5-year-old reforms, slashing zones to 10 and hiking averages by 51.55%. Their forward-looking advice? Annual auto-adjustments linked to min(operational costs, 5%), ensuring predictability.
Across the 96.10 km network’s 10 zones, increments are modest—₹1 min, ₹5 max. Zero-to-2 km rides: ₹11.2 (was ₹10); 4 km: ₹21.4. FY24-25 audits pegged cost inflation at 10.20%, restrained by policy.
Relief persists: smart cards/NCMC enjoy peak-hour 5% and weekend/highway 10% discounts. Tourist/group options align with the 5% uptick.
This strategy, BMRCL notes, fosters long-term affordability by distributing increases evenly, averting the pitfalls of sporadic mega-hikes. As Bengaluru’s metro expands, such measures balance growth with user trust.