BMTC hikes AC Bus fares

Bengaluru: The Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) has increased the fares of AC busses from Sunday.

BMTC cited that constant rise on diesel rates, staff allowances and other cost being the reason for the hike in fares.

An average fare increase of 16.89% has been made for stages starting from 7th to 25th (each stage has a distance of approximately 2 km).

Transport Minister D.C. Thammanna said, “The corporation had offered promotional fares for AC services a few months ago. Owing to increased operational costs, it was inevitable for it to revise the fares. Diesel price has drastically increased and traffic congestion on the road has also resulted in increased fuel consumption. The BMTC alone is incurring a loss of Rs.33 crore a month owing to these factors. This revision will not affect common people in the city. People travelling in the AC buses can afford it.”

On January 1, 2018, the BMTC, which operates a fleet of 774 AC buses in the city, had reduced fares by between 5 and 37%, with the average at 29%. This was extended till June 30.

The BMTC, however, has not made any revision in the fares of AC buses (Vayu Vajra service) operated to Kempegowda International Airport (KIA).