Free Ride Promise Backfires? Karnataka Govt to Hike Bus Fares by 15%

Bengaluru: The Karnataka cabinet has decided to increase the bus fares in the state-owned transport corporations by 15 per cent, an official statement said on Thursday. 

Karnataka Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister HK Patil said that the decision was taken in view of the substantial hike in operational costs, such as an increase in spending on fuel prices and staff.

Bus Fares Hiked In Karnataka  

“The cabinet has decided to revise the bus fare of the four state transport corporations of Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC), North West Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (NWKRTC), Kalyana Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (KKRTC) and Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) by 15 per cent,” Patil told reporters. 

The Minister said the decision will come into effect from January 5.

According to him, the BMTC bus fares were increased on January 10, 2015 when the diesel prices were Rs 60.90 per litre.

“The daily diesel consumption was Rs 9.16 crore 10 years ago by the four corporations, which has now increased to Rs 13.21 crore. The expenditure on staff in these four corporations was Rs 12.95 crore daily, which has increased to Rs 18.36 crore daily. Hence the revision was necessary,” Patil said justifying the hike.

Free Ride Promise Backfires? 

The decision to increase bus fares comes when Congress has promised to implement the 'Shakti' guarantee, which promises free rides for women on state-owned non-luxury buses throughout the state.

However, the minister also underlined that the 'Shakti' guarantee will continue.

Earlier in October, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar had said that the Shakti guarantee could be reviewed amid the poor fiscal situation of the state. 

"Many women have been communicating to us through social media and emails that they would like to pay for their tickets. We will discuss this,” Deputy CM Shivakumar said after flagging off new Airavata club class 2.0 buses of the state-owned Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) in October.