Mohandas Pai slams Bengaluru Metro fare hike as 'damage by insensitive govt'; X users ask, 'Why blame only the state?'

Amid mounting criticism, the BMRCL announced a revised fare structure on Thursday, reducing the maximum hike from 100 per cent to 71 per cent.

Updated on: Feb 15, 2025, 10:06:54 IST

By Anagha Deshpande

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Former Infosys CFO Mohandas Pai strongly criticized the Bengaluru Metro fare hike, calling it the "damage created by an insensitive government" that uses taxpayers’ money for freebies while increasing their financial burden.

Ex-Infosys CFO Mohandas Pai. (Abhijit Bhatlekar/ Mint)

“Damage created by an insensitive govt which uses our taxes for freebies, taxes us more and does not care about our ease of living. Big shame,” he wrote on X (Formerly Twitter).

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Check out his post here:

How did X users react to his post?

X users reacted with mixed opinions on the Bengaluru Metro fare hike. While some criticized the state government, others pointed out that the decision was made in coordination with both the Centre and the state.

One user questioned, "While I’m against freebies, isn’t this fare hike a joint decision? Why blame only the state?" Another added, "Does the central government have no role in this? After all, BMRCL is a 50:50 partnership between the Centre and the state, and the Fare Fixation Committee was set up by the central government."

Amid mounting criticism, the BMRCL announced a revised fare structure on Thursday, reducing the maximum hike from 100 per cent to 71 per cent.

However, the minimum and maximum fares remain unchanged at ₹10 and ₹90, respectively. The new pricing will take effect on Friday, confirmed BMRCL Managing Director M Maheshwar Rao, as per The Hindu.

The rollback decision came after Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah intervened, calling the hike "abnormal" and urging metro authorities to address the anomalies. He pointed out that fares had more than doubled on certain routes, making metro travel significantly costlier for daily commuters.

The revised fares were initially implemented on February 9, based on recommendations from the Fare Fixation Committee (FFC). BMRCL has also introduced peak and non-peak hour pricing, similar to ride-hailing services like Ola and Uber.

Adding to commuter woes, the metro fare hike follows a 15% increase in bus fares across all categories by the state transport department, making public transport in Bengaluru more expensive overall.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Anagha Deshpande
Anagha Deshpande is Deputy Chief Content Producer at Hindustan Times. She is currently part of the news team. Before moving into this role, she worked with the Bengaluru desk, where she extensively covered civic issues, Karnataka politics, infrastructure, and urban governance. Over the past seven years, Anagha has worked across multiple facets of digital journalism, including reporting, editing, and video production. She briefly stepped away from journalism, only to realize that the newsroom is where she has the most fun. Her interests lie in tracking national and state politics, particularly South Indian politics, as well as social issues and public policy. She has previously worked with Deccan Herald, Mid-day, The Federal, and ThePrint, and has lived and worked in Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, and Chennai. When she isn't chasing stories, Anagha enjoys long aimless walks, reading, hiking, discovering new teas, and, by her own admission, overthinking almost everything.Read More

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