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In good news for late night bus passengers, the Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) on Wednesday issued an order eliminating the 1.5 times higher night fare in buses with effect from Wednesday.
So far, the BMTC used to apply a surcharge that is 1.5 times the regular fare for services within the city between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. The BMTC in the order said, “For the benefit of commuters travelling late night and early morning, BMTC is operating night-service schedules and with a view to bring uniformity in passenger bus fares, BMTC has implemented ordinary service passenger bus fares for night-services with effect from September 6.”
Speaking to The Hindu, Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy said, “Collecting high charges at night is unfair. To maintain uniformity in the fare system, we decided to eliminate the higher night fares in buses. This will help many people who depend on the BMTC buses.”
As part of the Shakti scheme, women who are residents of Karnataka are eligible for free travel on non premium State-run buses within the State since June 11, 2023. Questions over the financial drain the scheme might cause to the road transport corporations were raised by some sections soon after the introduction of the scheme.
Speaking about the financial implications of removing the 1.5x night fare for BMTC, Mr. Reddy said, “The BMTC will not experience any adverse financial effects due to this change. Earlier, Opposition parties had expressed concerns that the Shakti scheme might negatively affect the road transportation corporations. However, as the government reimburses the ticket costs, all four corporations are now witnessing an improvement in their financial status.”
