Bus fare hike in Karnataka: Byrathi Suresh blames rising diesel prices, claims losses of ₹10,200 crore

Byrathi Suresh | Photo credit: File photo

Defending the Karnataka government’s decision to hike bus fares, Transport Minister Byrathi Suresh on Wednesday attributed the increase to the Union government’s repeated hike in diesel prices, rising operating costs and rising financial losses.

Explaining the reasons behind the revision, the minister said the Union government had hiked diesel prices seven times since May, leading to a cumulative increase of ₹10.47 per litre. The repeated increase in the price of fuel significantly affected the financial position of transport companies, he said.

These four corporations spend nearly 80% of their revenue on diesel and employee-related expenses. Together, they spend around ₹15.60 crore every day on diesel, which equates to an annual expenditure of ₹5,694 crore.

According to the minister, the four corporations have collectively accumulated losses of around ₹10,200 crore.

Mr. Suresh pointed out that bus fares have been revised only once in the last 10 years, with a 15% increase on January 5, 2025. But the earlier revision was not enough to offset the continued rise in operating costs, he said.

He further said that the latest fare revision was necessary to prevent corporations from falling further into financial distress, although the increase would only partially help recover their accumulated losses.

“Shakti is not responsible for losses”

Responding to concerns about the financial implications of the Shakti scheme, which provides free bus travel to women in Karnataka, the minister clarified that the scheme is not responsible for the financial losses incurred by the transport companies.

About 124.79 lakh passengers travel on buses operated by these four companies every day, of which about 74,40,00,000 are women who travel for free under the scheme.

He said the government regularly reimburses corporations for expenses incurred in providing free travel to women and therefore the scheme should not be blamed for their financial woes.

Gradual revision of fares

Explaining the revised fare structure, Transport Minister Byrathi Suresh said that regular bus fares operated by KSRTC, NWKRTC and KKRTC will increase by up to ₹9 for the first five stages which represent the highest number of passengers. For express services, the maximum increase would be ₹18.

In BMTC services, the fare for journeys up to 2 km has increased by ₹ 4, while journeys between 2 km and 4 km will cost ₹ 6 more. The maximum BMTC fare hike will be ₹12.

However, the announcement was marred by confusion during the press conference, with journalists repeatedly seeking to clarify the percentage increase across different services as the minister gradually explained the revised tariffs.

When reporters sought a clearer breakdown of the percentage increase, Mr. Suresh asked them to calculate the percentages themselves.

Published – 05 Nov 2026 06:01 IST