Just months after the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation (BMRCL) raised fares by around 71.43% in February, making Bengaluru Metro the costliest in India, the authorities have now made a new decision. On the recommendation of the Fare Fixation Committee (FFC), metro passengers will face automatic fare hikes of up to 5% annually starting February 2026.
Bengaluru Metro To See Automatic Fare Hikes Every Year
In a first for Namma Metro, the Fare Fixation Committee has revealed that fares will increase automatically by up to 5% every year. This will impact commuters who were already disappointed after the BMRCL hiked ticket prices by up to 71.34% in February 2025.
As per a report by Hindustan Times, the Fare Fixation Committee, headed by retired Justice R.Tharani, submitted its report in December 2024. Under the Metro Railways (Operations and Maintenance) Act, 2002, the BMRCL is bound to follow its recommendations. Furthermore, the annual revision is being introduced to ensure financial stability for the corporation.
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Financial Stress On Corporation Cited As The Key Reason
The report further mentioned that BMRCL had initially sought a steep hike of 105.15%, which would have raised the minimum fare to ₹21 and the maximum to ₹123. However, the Fare Fixation Committee recommended a smaller increase of 51.5%, keeping the minimum fare at ₹10 and the maximum at ₹90. The annual hike will be capped at 5% and calculated through a transparent formula based on operational and maintenance costs. For example, if the hike is 5%, a ₹10 ticket will be rounded off to ₹11. While a ₹25 ticket will cost ₹26.
But why are the fares being increased again? Financial stress is the main reason. Without fare adjustments, BMRCL projected a net loss of ₹577 crore by 2029-30. The corporation also has heavy loan repayments, starting from ₹911 crore in FY 2025-26 and rising to ₹1,457 crore by 2029-30. Authorities have introduced this new rule to ease the financial burden on BMRCL.
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The first round of automatic fare revision will come into effect in February 2026. Now we will have to wait and see how Bengalureans will respond to this new development. What are your opinions on this? Let us know!
Cover Image Courtesy: Yellow Line (Namma Metro), Wikipedia/ Sameer2905
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