Karnataka bus fares to go up from November 5; size of hike to be fixed on November 4
Transport Minister Byrathi Suresh says the four state transport corporations are losing about Rs 2,000 crore a year after repeated diesel price increases, making a fare revision unavoidable.
Travelling on Karnataka's state-run buses will cost more from November 5. Transport Minister Byrathi Suresh told reporters in Chikkaballapur on Sunday that the revised fares will take effect that day, with the exact increase to be settled at a meeting with officials of the four transport corporations on November 4.
The minister said the corporations are losing around Rs 2,000 crore every year because of five diesel price increases over the past year, on top of accumulated losses of about Rs 9,000 crore. The cabinet discussed the issue last week, and Chief Minister D K Shivakumar left the decision on the hike to the Transport Department.
Earlier this month, the Public Transport Fare Regulatory Committee, a three-member panel headed by retired IAS officer Atul Kumar Tiwari, recommended a 25% increase for KSRTC, NWKRTC and KKRTC and a 40% increase for BMTC in Bengaluru. The panel called a revision "inevitable" after studying fuel, maintenance, bus purchase and salary costs.
The corporations say a 12.5% salary revision from July 1, 2026 has added about Rs 874 crore to their yearly bills, while a Rs 7.81-per-litre rise in diesel prices has added Rs 395 crore. They also point to pending reimbursements under the Shakti free-travel scheme for women.
Bus fares in Karnataka were last raised by 15% on January 5, 2025.
Source: Deccan Herald. Photo: KSRTC / Wikimedia Commons, CC0.
