Is BMTC fare just too high?

Mehak Mudassir

Did you know that Bengaluru has the most expensive inter-city public transport in India thanks to BMTC? Activists and public are trying to make the state respond to this issue which aff ects people who do not own or cannot aff ord to own private transportation.

Recently, a public hearing was concluded on BMTC bus fare that recommended that bus fares be reduced and women, transgenders, and students be given free bus passes. The NGO Bengaluru Bus Priyankane Vedike has been championing for making bus fare cheaper for all and in that way encouraging people to leave their private transportation behind, and decongest the roads. But the price of the ticket is not conducive to luring people on to buses. We spoke to a few Bengalureans to get a perspective on this crippling challenge that faces the have-nots daily.

The ratio is 1:1 of private vehicles to the population in Bengaluru which is a failure of affordable and convenient public transport. Also, public transport commuters are performing public service by reducing emissions, reducing road usage, and traffi c congestion. They should therefore be rewarded with free service rather than being priced this high by the government for public transport usage.
— Manu Mathai, professor

The world over, public transportation in cities is understood as an important means of providing economic support to the citizens for safe travel to and from places of work, study and business. It’s an essential civic service and the trend is towards lower costs and even free services, especially for vulnerable sections, like the aged, students, women, the disabled, etc. But in our city, the BMTC fares are high, especially for the short trips. In Mumbai and Chennai fares cost around 5 - 6 rupees. In Bengaluru, the bus fares are the highest in the country. We need to change this and make bus commuting more affordable so that more people can travel by bus and give up private vehicles.
— Cynthia Stephan, activist

BMTC is the backbone of transportation for locals, especially the middle-class. While there exist other modes of transportation like the metro, they are not widely accessible nor do they connect all parts of this intricate city. As a consequence of the pandemic, the monthly salaries of most have been reduced to a meagre amount. The allotted budget for travel is already considerably high and it is now taking up the resources from other necessities too. When compared to other states, there is an immense margin in the price of bus fares. Keeping in mind the plight of the not-so-well off, the government must make efforts to reduce the price.
—VINAY K SREENIVASA, lawyer - activist

I ’m a B.Com student of Sri Veerendra Patil College at Sadashiva Nagar and I reside in Peenya 2nd stage. I travel to my college daily by BMTC bus number 252A. I pay around Rs 20 to college and another Rs 20 to get back home. I think there should be some discounts on bus fares for students.
—Arshiya, student

Free bus travel will b t l ill be a boon for single women-led households. I spend Rs 1050 on a monthly pass, which reduces my already meagre salary. I have expenses like children’s, education, rent, food, and medicines. I’m a pourakarmika, a single woman earning for the whole family - how can I pay this kind of bus fare?
—Lakshmi, Basaveshwara Nagar

I ’m a farmer and a resident of Chandapura. I frequently travel to the city market in BMTC buses to sell my produce. I was once charged Rs 50 rupees extra from the conductor of the BMTC bus, for the product bundles in the bus apart from my ticket amount. My margins are too narrow to afford this kind of bus fare.
—Nagmani, farmer

I ’m a single mother of three children and a domestic worker by occupation. I spend around Rs 1050 rupees a month on the bus pass. My monthly income is only Rs 5000. The bus fare is 20 percent of my monthly income.
—Manjula, domestic worker