Karnataka government’s fare hike on electric buses questioned as commuters flag diesel price rationale
BMTC officials say fares are determined uniformly across the corporation and are not calculated according to the fuel consumed by individual buses
The Karnataka government's decision to raise fares on Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) services, including both diesel and electric buses, has sparked controversy among commuters. Critics argue that citing rising diesel prices to justify the fare hike is inconsistent, as several conventional diesel buses have been replaced with electric buses in the corporation's fleet.
BMTC operates a portion of its services under the Gross Cost Contract (GCC) model, where private contractors run electric buses. Commuters question why passengers on these electric buses, which do not depend on diesel, should bear the burden of a fare revision primarily due to increasing diesel costs. BMTC offers an integrated fare structure, and revenue collected from various services and vehicle categories is pooled together to cover operational expenses, including staff salaries, maintenance, and infrastructure.
The government's push for electric mobility and cleaner public transport is contradicted by the fare hike on services operated by electric buses.
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