Karnataka Transport Minister Byrathi Suresh, on Wednesday, announced a hike in bus fares across state-run transport corporations, including the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) and Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC), citing rising diesel prices.
The fare increase for KSRTC buses will be capped at ₹9.
In Bengaluru, the minimum fare for BMTC city buses has increased from ₹6 to ₹10, while the maximum fare has been raised from ₹35 to ₹45.
The maximum fare for AC Vajra buses has been increased from ₹75 to ₹90. Fares for Vayu Vajra airport bus services have also been revised, with the maximum fare rising from ₹405 to ₹425.
For KSRTC’s luxury services, including Rajahamsa and AC buses, fares have been decided based on prevailing market prices and competition, Suresh said.
Justifying the fare revision, the minister said Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra had also increased bus fares. “ Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra governments too have increased bus fares, so we are also hiking,” he said.
Suresh said the decision was aimed at protecting the financial sustainability of state-run transport corporations rather than generating profits. “Profit is not our motive; we hiked bus fares to save institutions like the KSRTC, BMTC,” he said.
(This is a developing story and will be updated soon)
