Bengaluru Metro revises fares by 5 per cent from February 9

BENGALURU: The Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) has announced annual fare revision as per the First Fare Fixation Committee (FFC) constituted under the Metro Railways (Operation & Maintenance) Act, 2002.

The FFC, while recommending the revised fare structure for BMRCL, observed that the revision of fares after 7.5 years and the optimisation of fare zones from 29 to 10 have resulted in an average increase of 51.55 per cent. With a view to avoiding such a situation of infrequent and steep fare increases in future, the committee has recommended in its report to revise the fare annually by having a transparent Annual Automatic Fare Revision Formula linked with O&M cost or 5 per cent per annum, whichever is lower, by rounding off to the nearest rupee. This mechanism facilitates the introduction of a small annual fare adjustment.

“In keeping with the recommendations of the FFC, which is binding on BMRCL, it is hereby notified that an Annual Automatic Fare Revision will be implemented with effect from February 9, 2026, on expiry of one year from the date of implementation of the FFC’s recommended fares by BMRCL (9th February 2025). The marginal increase ranges from Rs 1 to Rs 5 across 10 fare zones on its entire network of 96.10 kms”, the press release said.

Based on the Audited Financial Data for the financial year 2024-25 (March 31, 2025) compared with base data of the financial year 2023-24 (31st March 2024), the formula-based index indicates a cost increase of 10.20 per cent; however, the fare revision has been restricted to only 5 per cent, in line with the FFC stipulation.

Importantly, BMRCL will continue all existing commuter-friendly discounts for smart-card/NCMC users, including 5 per cent during peak hours, 10 per cent during non-peak hours, and 10 per cent on Sundays and three designated National Holidays. The annual increase of 5 per cent shall also apply to tourist cards/group tickets.

BMRCL emphasised that the small annual revision is intended to ensure financial sustainability and service reliability, while avoiding the need for large and sudden fare increases in the future. The approach allows fares to move gradually in line with inflation and operating costs, thereby protecting commuters from sharp, infrequent hikes.

As per the press release, “BMRCL remains committed to providing safe, reliable, punctual and affordable metro services to the citizens of Bengaluru. BMRCL will continue to balance commuter affordability with the need to maintain high standards of maintenance, safety, and service quality across its expanding network”. (ANI)