Tejasvi Surya slams Bengaluru Metro over fare hike, demands release of fare fixation report
BJP MP from Bengaluru South, Tejasvi Surya, has once again turned up the heat on the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL), demanding that it immediately release the Fare Fixation Committee's (FFC) report, which led to the recent revision in Namma Metro ticket prices. Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya.(PTI)
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In a post on social media platform X, Surya questioned BMRCL's lack of transparency, asking why the report had not yet been made public despite repeated calls. He also took a broader swipe at the city's approach to public transport, saying it lacked vision, aesthetics, and respect for the commuter.
'Why are you not making it public? What is it that you want to hide?' the MP asked. 'This isn't a matter of national security. Commuters have the right to know what justified such steep fare hikes.'
Surya said he had personally reminded BMRCL's Managing Director on Friday to disclose the committee's findings. The FFC is a statutory body constituted under the Metro Railways (Operations and Maintenance) Act, 2002, responsible for recommending fare structures.
Drawing comparisons with international transit systems, Surya cited the Moscow Metro as a model example of urban mobility done right. He praised the Russian capital's metro for its ultra-high frequency (80-second intervals), dense radial connectivity, affordable pricing, and architecturally stunning stations.
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'Public transport isn't just about movement,' he wrote. 'It's about ambition, aesthetics, and respect for the commuter. But this sentiment is missing in Bengaluru.'
He urged BMRCL to learn from global best practices and focus not only on operational efficiency but also on commuter experience and affordability. Surya reiterated that public transport in a growing urban centre like Bengaluru should be the cheapest, fastest, and most accessible mode of mobility, not a financial burden on its users.
The recent fare revision by BMRCL has faced sharp criticism from regular metro users and urban mobility advocates alike. While the corporation has defended the move citing rising operational costs and expansion efforts, it has yet to explain how the fares were calculated — something the still-unreleased FFC report is expected to clarify.
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