Karnataka Hikes Bus Fare By 15 Per Cent, Minister Cites Increased Operational Costs

The hike will come into effect from January 5 and covers all types of buses from Karnataka Sarige to Rajahamsa and Sleeper coaches. The state cabinet which met here on Thursday approved the proposal by all four road transport corporations - BMTC, KSRTC, NWKRTC and NEKRTC - to increase the bus fare by 15%. With the increase, the state road transport corporations hope to collect Rs 74 crore every month additionally.

The hike was inevitable considering the increased operational costs, Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H K Patil told reporters after the cabinet meeting. "The diesel procurement costs of four RTCs have gone up from 9.16 crore in 2015 to Rs 13.21 crore now. Similarly, the per-day spending on the staff has gone up from 12.85 crore to Rs 18.36 crore. In all, there is an additional burden of Rs 9.56 crore on RTCs every day," Patil said. He said even after the hike the bus fares in Karnataka will be less than those of neighbouring states of Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.

Transport minister Ramalinga Reddy also defended the hike saying it was inevitable to save the public transport system. "The hike was effected keeping in mind the increased fuel prices, salaries of the staff and other operational costs," he added. After the hike, the bus fare from Bengaluru to Hubballi for Karnataka Sarige buses will be increased from the existing Rs 521 to Rs 599. Similarly, the bus fare to Kalaburagi from Bengaluru will go up to Rs 834 from existing Rs 726.

The cabinet also gave the green signal for RTCs to raise Rs 2,000 crore from various financial institutions to clear salary arrears, provident funds and dearness allowance due to their employees.

The opposition BJP slammed the hike. State BJP President B Y Vijayendra said the failure to arrange funds for the Shakti Scheme (provides for free travel for women) has driven RTCs into losses. Opposition Leader in Assembly R Ashoka said since the day it came to power, the Congress government has been extorting the common man in one form or the other. "This government is sucking the blood of the common people," he wrote in X.