Bengaluru: BMTC increases bus pass rates across categories from Thursday

Following the recent hike in bus fares, the Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) has announced an increase in bus pass prices, effective from Thursday.

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The cost of the ordinary daily pass has been raised from ₹70 to ₹80. Similarly, the weekly pass now costs ₹350, up from ₹300, while the ordinary monthly pass has gone up from ₹1,050 to ₹1,200. Commuters using buses on the NICE Road (a tolled route) will now pay ₹2,350 for a monthly pass, compared to the earlier ₹2,200, reported The Times of India.

For those traveling on Vajra AC buses, the daily pass rate has been increased from ₹120 to ₹140, and the monthly pass has been revised from ₹1,800 to ₹2,000. Additionally, the monthly pass for Vayu Vajra services—AC buses connecting to Kempegowda International Airport—has risen to ₹4,000 from ₹3,755. Students commuting on AC buses will also face higher costs, as the monthly pass price has been raised from ₹1,200 to ₹1,400.

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The Karnataka government recently increased a hike on all state-run bus services, starting from January 5. The recent increase in bus fares is enforced across all major state-run transport services, including the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC), North West Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (NWKRTC), Kalyana Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (KKRTC), and the Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC).

Highlighting the reasons behind the decision, the transport minister explained that diesel prices have seen a sharp rise since BMTC last revised its fares in 2015. At that time, diesel was priced at ₹60.90 per litre. He further noted that the corporation’s daily diesel expenses have surged from ₹9.16 crore to ₹13.21 crore. Additionally, daily staff-related costs have escalated from ₹12.95 crore to ₹18.36 crore. The government also said that fare revision is necessary to mitigate the increasing financial strain on the transport corporations.