Click it and Unblock the Notifications
After strong public anger and a heated political debate between the ruling Congress and the BJP in Karnataka, the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) has decided to pause the proposed annual fare hike for Namma Metro. The revised fares were supposed to take effect on February 9, 2026, but have now been put on hold.
Fare Revision
In a media statement issued on Sunday, BMRCL said that its earlier notice dated February 5 about the fare revision has been kept pending until further instructions. The corporation said a final decision on the revised fares will be taken after the BMRCL Board reviews the matter. However, no clear timeline was given for this review. This decision came after heavy criticism from metro commuters and a political blame game, with both the BJP and the Congress accusing each other of being responsible for the proposed fare hike. The issue became even more sensitive because Bengaluru had seen major protests last year after a steep increase in metro fares.
Officials from BMRCL told The Hindu that the fare revision was paused after receiving a communication from the Union government. According to them, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) had reached out, following which BMRCL decided to temporarily stop the hike, which will now be discussed by the BMRCL Board.
Previous Fare Policy
Earlier, BMRCL had announced a zone-based fare revision under its Annual Automatic Fare Revision system. The proposal included a small increase of ₹1 to ₹5 across 10 fare zones, based on travel distance. Though the hike was described as minor, commuters strongly opposed it because it came soon after last year's controversial fare increase.
Metro Fare Due to Technical Error
In February 2025, metro fares were sharply raised, with some ticket prices increasing by more than 100%. After public protests, BMRCL later said the hike was due to technical errors and reduced the maximum increase to 71%, following the Fare Fixation Committee's recommendations.
Meanwhile, BJP leaders claimed credit for stopping the latest hike. Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya and Leader of Opposition R. Ashok said the Union government's intervention led to the decision. Mr. Surya later said the pause was a temporary relief and asked the State government to restore subsidies and form a new Fare Fixation Committee for a fair and transparent fare system.
