Karnataka has announced a sharp bus fare increase across its four state-run transport corporations, with BMTC fares rising by 33% to 35% and KSRTC, NWKRTC and KKRTC fares increasing by 23% from Thursday midnight. The revision will raise daily travel costs for Bengaluru commuters and make several bus journeys more expensive for intercity passengers.
The increase is the steepest fare revision reported for the state-run corporations in recent years. Fare revisions between 2009 and 2025 had ranged from 3.5% to 15%, according to the report. The new rates will also affect passengers using BMTC’s premium services and Vayu Vajra airport buses.
The fare revision brings the base price of some BMTC bus journeys closer to Metro fares on certain routes. For passengers who depend on buses for regular travel, the immediate impact will depend on the route, service category and frequency of trips. The increase is also expected to be felt more sharply by passengers who do not qualify for free travel under the state’s Shakti scheme.
Karnataka Transport Minister Byrathi Suresh defended the decision by citing rising operational costs, fuel prices and employee expenses. He said the transport corporations were under severe financial stress and denied that the Shakti scheme was responsible for the financial difficulties faced by the corporations.
The announcement triggered criticism from citizens online, with commuters questioning the scale of the increase and its effect on household budgets. Some also asked why passengers should pay more while the government continues to provide free travel to women under the Shakti scheme.
The four corporations carry around 1.25 crore passengers every day, according to the report. Of these, 74.4 lakh are women travelling free under the Shakti scheme. More than 50 lakh passengers, largely men, continue to pay for their journeys, making them the most immediate group affected by the fare revision.
Intercity passengers will also face higher costs. An express bus journey from Bengaluru to Kalaburagi will cost Rs 928, compared with Rs 754 earlier, an increase of Rs 174. The fare for a Bengaluru-Belagavi journey has risen from Rs 603 to Rs 742.
The revised fares are scheduled to take effect from Thursday midnight. The implementation will place the focus on how the transport corporations apply the new rates across ordinary, express, premium and airport services, while commuters adjust to higher costs for daily and intercity travel.
