Bengaluru's BMTC sees ridership drop after hike in bus fare

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy

The Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) has seen a drop in ridership after a 15 percent fare hike implemented on January 5.

An analysis of BMTC’s ridership records reveals that total ridership decreased from 38.03 lakh on December 16, 2014 (Monday, before the fare revision), to 35.85 lakh on January 20, 2025 (Monday, after the fare revision).

While women can travel for free in all non-AC buses, female ridership still dropped from 22.6 lakh on December 16 to 21.7 lakh on January 20. Male ridership saw a sharper decline, falling from 15.3 lakh to 14.1 lakh over the same period.

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Vinay Srinivasa, a member of the Bengaluru Bus Prayanikara Vedike, an NGO which represents passengers attributed the decline to various factors. “There are three main impacts. First, the working-class men, who don’t own vehicles, are forced to spend more, which reduces their savings. Second, those with two-wheelers may find it cheaper to switch modes. Third, passengers using Vajra and Vayu Vajra AC buses may shift to auto-rickshaws and other alternatives.” he said.

Srinivasa also criticised the fare hike, saying, “We are asking for increased frequency and more buses, but instead, they are increasing fares. Post-Covid, traffic congestion is worse, and more people are buying vehicles, especially SUVs, both for social status and to navigate the city’s terrible roads.”

"BMTC's substantial 15 percent fare hike, along with the upcoming Metro fare hike, is likely to reduce the share of public transport usage in the city. The choice of transport mode people make in response to such significant fare hikes will impact ridership and the overall public transport mode share," Ashish Verma, convenor of the Sustainable Transportation Lab at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), told Moneycontrol.

A senior BMTC official said they need to wait for a month to understand the ridership patterns. “Our passenger revenue has increased after the hike. We are also implementing UPI-facility in all buses to address change problems”.

While the fare hike was announced as 15 percent, it has increased to around 20 percent for some stages due to the rounding off of fares. Many have shifted to bike taxis, carpool apps, and their own two-wheelers. Aravind S., who commutes daily from Jayanagar to CV Raman Nagar on an electric scooter, said, "I've recently switched to my two-wheeler from the bus. It's cheaper and faster than the bus. There is no incentive for people to use public transport."

The minimum fare for non-AC buses increased from Rs 5 to Rs 6 (Stage 1, up to 2 km), while the maximum fare rose from Rs 30 to Rs 32 for Stage 25 (50 km). The price of a non-AC daily pass went up from Rs 70 to Rs 80, while the weekly pass increased from Rs 300 to Rs 350. The cost of a monthly pass (ordinary) rose from Rs 1,050 to Rs 1,200.

While the number of two-wheelers in Bengaluru increased from 55.42 lakh in 2017-2018 to 78.33 lakh in 2023-2024. Similarly, the number of cars rose from 17.75 lakh in 2017-2018 to 25.13 lakh in 2023-2024. The total number of vehicles increased from 83.6 lakh in 2017-2018 to 1.17 crore in 2023-2024. However, the number of BMTC buses decreased from 6,677 in 2017-2018 to 6,340 in 2024-2025.

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