Bengaluru bus fares are going to stay the same as fuel prices increase. A sigh of relief is issued to Bangalore commuters to a lesser degree. Despite rise in petrol and diesel prices, Karnataka Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy has decided that bus fares won't be increased. However, on the continent, the cost of fuel is increasing rapidly, yet the state government has declined to take that load with passengers.
Last week, Minister Ramalinga Reddy ruled out any immediate hikes in ticket prices for BMTC (Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation) buses. “The rise in fuel prices is the product of global factors which go abroad, not the state,” he said. However, he said the government does not want to impose financial strain on bus passengers who work, go to school and travel when they need buses to do those.
BMTC buses are the most affordable and easy to use mode of transport for lakhs of residents in Bengaluru. Fuel and construction cost increase in fuel costing also put a huge pressure on working families, students and low to middle income family members. By maintaining fares, the government has provided relief to the passengers that already have high living expenses in the city.
Public transport is the cornerstone of Bengaluru’s daily life. If fares were to increase, a disruption in incomes would ripple on household budgets, driving people back to private vehicles to increase traffic and pollution. That the government has been able to keep fares to these prices, even amid financial constraints generated from surging electricity costs to power the city’s air transport, is appreciated.
Minister Reddy explained that although fuel prices had increased, the state does not have power to raise fares at this moment. The government is committed to keeping public transport affordable and at least as much cheaper to people, he said.
For most people in Bengaluru bus fares will stay relatively constant but rising prices have been welcomed. The announcement is therefore a move by the Government to maintain this affordable public transportation system and so also to protect us at the city level from our falling world economy without the disruption in transport. Thus till soon the trip is going back the train and travelers will be in safety despite the fluctuating fuel prices around the world even if.
