Bengaluru: Bus fares on the state-run KSRTC, KKRTC and NWKRTC will go up by 23 per cent from midnight on Wednesday, Transport Minister Byrathi Suresh said at a press meet at the KSRTC headquarters in Bengaluru. For the first five stages, where most passengers travel, the increase is capped at ₹9 on ordinary buses and ₹18 on express services, but longer journeys will cost more.
What changes
- Fares on KSRTC, KKRTC and NWKRTC buses rise by 23 per cent overall. BMTC fares in Bengaluru rise by 33 to 35 per cent.
- Ordinary buses: a maximum rise of ₹9 for the first five stages. Examples: Nelamangala and Hosakote ₹35 to ₹44; Magadi and Malur ₹46 to ₹57.
- Express services: a maximum rise of ₹18 for the first five stages. According to the corporation’s comparison table, Bengaluru to Mysuru goes from ₹160 to ₹197; Tumakuru and Kolar ₹81 to ₹100; Mangaluru ₹423 to ₹521; Hubballi ₹490 to ₹613; Belagavi ₹603 to ₹742; Kalaburagi ₹754 to ₹928.
- The new fares apply from midnight on Wednesday.
According to the corporations’ press note, the state road transport corporations operate about 26,125 buses and 24,179 schedules a day, with about 1,02,646 staff.
Why the fares were raised
The minister said the Union government has raised diesel prices seven times since May this year, and the prices of spare parts have also gone up. Fares were not revised from time to time, he said, and the four corporations together face losses of about ₹10,200 crore. He said the rise in diesel prices, staff pay revision and spare-part costs made a fare increase unavoidable.
Fares were raised only once in the last ten years, by 15 per cent on January 5, 2025, but continuing diesel price rises meant the losses did not ease. The minister said the new increase will reduce the losses only to some extent.
Lower than the panel’s recommendation
A public transport fare regulation committee headed by retired IAS officer Atul Kumar Tiwari had studied the corporations’ finances and recommended a much steeper increase. The minister said the government revised fares on scientific lines keeping citizens’ interests in mind.
Shakti scheme
Across the four corporations, 124.79 lakh passengers travel every day, of whom about 74.40 lakh women travel free under the Shakti scheme. The minister said the government releases the cost of free travel to the corporations from time to time, so it is wrong to say Shakti causes them losses.
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