The Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) has come under fire from Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya, who has accused the corporation of misleading the fare revision committee with wrong data, resulting in an inflated metro fare hike. The BJP leader claimed that passengers have been overcharged to the tune of ₹100 crore due to “mathematical errors” and has warned that he would approach the Karnataka High Court if the issue is not corrected.
Surya’s remarks came after what he described as a “gross miscalculation” in the fare revision process earlier this year. He said the BMRCL had misrepresented crucial figures, such as electricity costs and inflation rates, while justifying the fare hike to the fare fixation committee. “Our metro has earned the dubious distinction of being the costliest in the country. The officials seem to need a math class before handling fare structures,” he remarked sarcastically.
Earlier, on February 9, Namma Metro had hiked fares by 105 per cent. Following public outrage, the fares were marginally reduced to a 71.5 per cent increase by February 13. Surya pointed out that even this reduced fare remains disproportionately high compared to the last revision in 2017, when the power tariff per unit was Rs 6. “Now, when power cost is Rs 5.25, fares should have gone down, not up. Instead, BMRCL sought a 105.5 per cent hike and implemented 71.5 per cent. How is this justified?” he asked.
According to Surya, this discrepancy has led to passengers paying approximately ₹100 crore more than they should have. “The BMRCL officials have deliberately inflated figures to show higher operational costs. This misinformation must be corrected immediately,” he demanded.
The MP said he had planned to personally meet BMRCL Managing Director Dr Shivashankar and other senior officials to “give them a lesson in arithmetic.” Still, the meeting was postponed after the MD reportedly cited health issues. “If this is not rectified soon, I will move the High Court against the wrongful fare collection,” Surya asserted, adding that he has already written to Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar and the BMRCL management demanding immediate fare correction.
Meanwhile, metro commuters have echoed Surya’s demand, urging the government to announce a “November gift” by rolling back the fare hike. “The officials made a mistake and the public is paying for it. The government must step in and fix this,” said one commuter at Majestic station.
