Fuel price hike: Bengaluru schools plan to hike transport charges
The ever-increasing fuel prices are likely to affect school fees in Bengaluru, with many private schools planning to hike transport fees by around 9% this academic year.
As of Wednesday, petrol price was ₹110.93 per liter while diesel price was ₹98.80 per litre.
D. Shashikumar, general secretary of the Associated Management of English Medium Schools in Karnataka, said, “School fees are increasing by 5% to 10% every year, but transport charges have remained unchanged. We use the total fee collections to cover maintenance and fuel costs of buses and vans. However, due to the recent spike in fuel prices, schools are now required to collect bus charges or are required to do so. monthly.”
He added, “The transport fee depends on the location of the school and the distance from the students’ homes to the school. It also varies depending on the type of school. Currently, schools charge somewhere around ₹1,500 to ₹2,500 per month, which may go up to ₹3,000 to ₹3,500.”
Lokesh Talikatte, president, Karnataka Recognized Unaided Private School Association (KRUPA), said, “About 11,000 schools from across Karnataka, including CBSE and ICSE schools, have registered with our organization. We are planning to increase the transport fee by 8% to 10%. This will come after a meeting with parents about transport has already started and some have also informed them that parents have already responded. It is another financial burden on them. Currently, schools are under KRUPA they charge somewhere around ₹11,000 to ₹18,000, which goes up to around ₹22,000.”
He also said that KRUPA has received requests from teachers to raise their salaries due to the rise in fuel prices, but no decision has been made yet.
Meanwhile, parents of school-aged children, already burdened by rising fuel prices, said the increase in school transport fees would further strain their budgets. Raghava M, whose daughters study in a CBSE school in Vijayanagar, said, “Currently, I pay ₹ 36,000 per year as transport fee for both my daughters. Even an increase of ₹ 2,000 would be an additional burden. The school fees alone are ₹ 75,000 per year. I work in a salon for ₹ 200 per day and earn about ₹ 000 per day. It is a significant burden.”
Freeda M., another parent, said, “My son is in class 6 and his school is six kilometers from home. As there are heavy vehicles plying on the road connecting Kengeri, I prefer to send him by school van rather than buying a bike. If the transport fee increases, we can opt out next year and send him by BMTC buses. Currently, we cannot opt out as we have already submitted the school fee forms and paid the first instalment.”
Krishnappa, whose daughter studies in a school 2.5 km from home in Hulimavu, said the school had already increased the transport fee by ₹4,000 to account for inflation before the fuel price hike. “We are already paying ₹40,000 a year for transport. I am afraid that with the continuous increase in fuel prices, there will be further increase,” he said.
Published – 27 May 2026 21:43 IST