“I work late evening shifts. After the hike, I am trying to manage with buses, but it’s not so safe late at night and the metro was my safe space. But, now, I can’t afford it every day,” says Namrata Sinha, a sales assistant in Bengaluru’s Indiranagar.
The concept of building Metro in key cities was aimed at creating alternative options to address India’s chaotic, and congested cities. Soon after its inception, it became the pulse of a modern city—a sleek, efficient transit solution for its tech-driven, time-starved workforce. And, it has long been the lifeline for students, office-goers, women and countless others for whom owning a car or hiring a cab remains out of reach. Metros, especially, have come to symbolise a certain promise: speed, safety, and above all, affordability–that promise is now under question.
On February 9, 2025, Bengaluru’s Namma Metro hiked its fares by up to 50%, with long-distance journeys touching ₹90–100 per day. What followed was not just a public outcry but it reminded all of us that it is high time we talk about it.
SSZee Media spoke to multiple daily metro commuters in Delhi to gauge their response to Bengaluru’s fare hike. The mood was a mix of frustration and resignation. “What can we do maximum, we can protest but then nothing will change. I pay 94-98 rupees for both sides every day, which makes my monthly spend more than 2600 rupees just on the metro than I take rikshaw as well,” said Aparajit Kumar who travels from Dwarka sec 11 to Karol Bag everyday adding “now if they increase metro fare here as well, I will continue using it because there are no other safer or reliable option available for hassle-free travel.”
While the metro remains a symbol of speed and safety, it falls short when it comes to seamless mile-to-mile connectivity. While metro rail networks, buses, and suburban trains serve as the backbone of urban transit in cities like Delhi, Bengaluru, Mumbai, and Chennai, most commuters face significant challenges in reaching these networks from their homes or workplaces. Last-mile gaps—poor access roads, lack of feeder services, and unsafe pedestrian infrastructure—force people to depend on private vehicles, auto-rickshaws, or shared cabs, increasing costs and commute time.
“Metro was never meant to become a privilege for people but now it is in Bengaluru. I can only imagine how it will impact women for whom the metro is just not a transportation mode but also like the safest mode to commute so far,” said Preeti Saini, who works in a government office and commutes via metro everyday. “First thing I did coming to Bengaluru was to get a house near the metro station, which has cost me more than my initial budget. I think of getting a car but the traffic in Bengaluru is another headache. I will never reach the office on time. That is the only reason I still come by metro only but my monthly expenses have increased like anything,” added Saini.
What’s unfolding in Bengaluru is a reflection of a larger crisis unfolding in Indian cities. The 50% fare hike, with stage-wise increases of up to 45% has pushed daily commuting costs beyond the reach of thousands. The metro system, envisioned as a people-first, climate-friendly public service, is slowly turning into a costlier alternative, pushing commuters either to downgrade to slower and riskier transport modes or back into private vehicles. Either way, it’s a lose-lose—for the commuter, for the city, and for the planet.
A post-hike survey by Greenpeace India across metro stations, marketplaces, and colleges in Bengaluru notes that “a staggering 72.9% of respondents said their daily transport cost now equals or exceeds their one-time meal expense. Around 73.4% spend ₹50–150 every day on transport. For working professionals and students, the impact is severe: 68% say the metro is now too expensive. More than 75% have reduced their non-essential travel. And crucially, 38.2% of women say they have had to cut down on travel due to rising costs—raising fresh concerns about gendered access and safety.”
For many, the fare hike signals more than financial strain—it reflects a deeper issue of social exclusion. “This growing exclusion is not just about money. It’s about the shrinking space for dignity in Indian cities. A metro ride that once guaranteed predictability and security is now being replaced by longer, crowded, and often unsafe alternatives,” said Nancy Jacob, a daily commuter of Namma Metro.
The report highlights that after the fare hike, students are skipping classes, informal workers are reconsidering job locations, parents are exploring school changes, and some office-goers are reverting to motorbikes and carpooling—not because it’s better, but because it’s cheaper.
A young tech support worker in Electronic City, Jagan Reddy, shared how he now walks 4 kilometres to cut down on daily expenses. “My travel used to cost ₹60, now it’s almost ₹100. I don’t have that kind of buffer. So I cut back on eating out, walking more—even skipping social plans.”
Sharing a similar plight, Shalini Rao, a nursing student said that the fare hike means missing the morning metro and squeezing into over-packed BMTC buses. “I’m often late. And I feel unsafe. The metro used to be my lifeline. Now it’s a last resort.”
Even more alarming is the city-wide drop in metro ridership. According to various reports, Bengaluru Metro reported a 13% decline in overall usage post-fare hike, with February alone witnessing a 20% fall. That’s not just a dip in numbers—it’s a sign that the public is voting with its feet. And many are walking away from a system that no longer includes them.
This isn’t a problem unique to Bengaluru. Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, and other rapidly growing Indian cities are all witnessing similar tensions: soaring metro costs, patchy last-mile connectivity, overcrowded buses, and a car-centric development model that prioritises flyovers and tunnels over mass transit and pedestrians. Projects like Bengaluru’s proposed ₹19,000 crore tunnel system reflect how urban planning in India often caters to private vehicles while underfunding the very infrastructure meant to serve the majority.
In the national capital, you see every year during monsoon the same images–buses, roads, cars are submerged in dirty water. It is sometimes a flood-like situation near underpasses, bus stands and bad sewage systems add to the pathetic condition of roads.
“I bought a car in 2019 as reaching the sec 52 metro station was a task first as you have to take an auto which used to cost me 40-50 rupees just one side from my home. Then my metro travel time was 40-45 minutes,” said Rahi Singh who works in a media sector and travels from Noida sec 78 to ITO everyday. “But now I spend my life in traffic. I have no social life. I guess after finishing my college I never boarded the bus in Delhi. And it is not even safe anymore,” she added.
Another commuter who took part in one of Bengaluru’s protests against fare hike, Irene Ann Kuttichira summed up what many feel, said, “Every fare hike hits hard. It’s not just about money—it’s about choice, freedom, and dignity. We are not asking for luxuries. We’re just asking to be included.”
Public transport should serve the people, not profit-driven motives. It should be affordable and accessible for all. With cities facing severe environmental crises, the government should focus on making a dedicated public transport budget and a national mobility vision as the current model is unsustainable on every front. Rising fares drive commuters away from clean public transport toward more polluting vehicles, worsening traffic, heat, and air pollution—issues that disproportionately affect the poor and vulnerable. Vehicular emissions are now one of the top contributors to PM10 and PM2.5 pollution in urban India, contributing to health risks and accelerating climate change.
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