Seven months after Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) stunned commuters with a nearly 105 per cent fare hike, the long-awaited Fare Fixation Committee (FFC) report has exposed a damning truth: the corporation implemented increases far steeper than what was actually recommended by the statutory body it claimed to be following.
The report came to light on Thursday, following the Karnataka High Court’s intervention and sustained public pressure.
The controversy began with BMRCL’s justification for the February 2025 fare hike. The corporation presented alarming cost escalation figures to support its demand for a 105 per cent fare increase across all categories. They claimed staff costs had risen by 42 per cent, energy costs by 34 per cent, and maintenance and administration costs by a staggering 366 per cent. These figures painted a picture of an organisation drowning in escalating expenses, seemingly justifying the dramatic fare increases that followed.
However, a closer examination of the actual data revealed in the FFC report tells a different story. From 2017-18 to 2023-24, BMRCL’s real operational and maintenance cost per route kilometre increased from Rs 6.22 to Rs 8.68 — a rise of just 39.6 per cent, not the claimed 105 per cent. The discrepancy arose from BMRCL’s methodology. Instead of using straightforward cost-per-kilometre calculations, the corporation employed a weighted index system that effectively double-counted costs while ignoring the significant route expansion from 42.3 km to 70.7 km during the same period.
The Fare Fixation Committee, tasked with providing an independent assessment, saw through BMRCL’s inflated projections. The panel’s recommendations were markedly different from what the corporation had demanded. For journeys up to 2 kilometres, the FFC recommended keeping fares unchanged at Rs 10, while BMRCL had proposed raising them to Rs 21. For medium-distance journeys of 6-8 kilometres, where the old fare was Rs 23.50, BMRCL wanted to charge Ra 48, but the FFC approved only Rs 40. The disparity was even more pronounced for longer journeys above 25 kilometers, where BMRCL sought to more than double fares from Rs 60 to Rs 123, while the FFC recommended a more modest increase to Rs 80 or Rs 90, depending on the distance.
FFC recommended an overall 51.55 per cent increase to account for over 7.5 years of constant fares since 2017, translating to approximately 6.9 per cent annually, compared to BMRCL’s demand for an annual 14 per cent. The committee also rationalised the fare structure from 12 slabs to 10 for better clarity, and proposed additional measures like Sunday discounts and holiday concessions to make the Metro more accessible to regular commuters.
Despite the FFC’s moderate recommendations, BMRCL initially implemented a 130 per cent hike in February 2025, shocking daily commuters who suddenly found their travel costs more than doubled overnight. The move sparked immediate public outrage and protests across Bengaluru.
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‘Delay in making FFC report public exposes more faultlines’: Tejasvi Surya
Meanwhile, Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya, who had moved the High Court in the matter, stated on Friday that the timeline of delay in making the FFC report public exposes further fault lines.
BMRCL sought government approval to release the report on June 26, 2025, and the Urban Development Department granted approval on July 16, 2025. Yet the corporation delayed release for another two months, finally publishing the report in September 11, coincidentally one day before a scheduled High Court hearing on the matter.
“Despite demands for the release of the FFC Report, BMRCL failed to do so, compelling me to approach the Hon’ble High Court,” Surya stated on X. “Conveniently, a day before the Hon’ble High Court was set to hear my Writ Petition and 7 months after the steep fake hike, BMRCL has published the FFC report on their website,” Surya noted.
“In its objections before the Hon’ble High Court, BMRCL had categorically stated that it received approval of GoK on July 16 for releasing the report. Yet, it took them almost two months to upload it. One can only imagine the speed at which this institution is functioning in all spheres,” Surya added.
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Satya Arikutharam, an urban mobility expert, said, “The actual operating cost per kilometre for Namma Metro has risen only 40 per cent since 2017. Yet BMRCL inflated this to 105 % and sought to double fares. The FFC cut it down to a 51% average hike, but for most commuters, like an 8 km trip, the increase is still over 70%. In reality, Bengalureans are paying an hike of almost twice as much today to cover BMRCL’s delays and inefficiencies.”