Bengaluru, India. ninth March 2025 – A month after the metro hike on ninth February, commuters and residents in Bengaluru got here collectively, inside town’s metro right this moment, calling for a direct rollback of the latest fare hike. The demonstration highlighted rising public concern over reasonably priced and accessible public transport, urging authorities to take motion. Bengaluru Metro ridership dropped 13% total publish fare hike, with a pointy 20% drop in February alone, signalling affordability considerations.
A latest survey carried out by Greenpeace India after the metro fare hike in February 2025, highlights that Bengaluru Metro fare hike has considerably burdened low and center revenue teams, college students and dealing professionals as 72.9% of respondents stated that their transport prices now exceeds or equal their one-time meal expense. Moreover, ladies, who rely upon public transport greater than males, have been disproportionately affected, additional limiting their mobility and security. The fare hike makes every day journey a monetary burden for college kids and dealing professionals who depend on public transport.
Key discovering of the survey:
- 40.4% of respondents use the metro as their main mode of transport.
- 62.9% depend on Public transport (metro & buses mixed)
- 73.4% spent 50-150 Rs every day on transport.
- 68% of respondents acknowledged that the fare hike made metro journey costly.
- 75.4% lower down on non-essential journey on account of rising prices.
- 38.2% ladies have decreased their non important journey on account of metro fare hike in Bangalore
- A majority imagine the fare hike is unjust and harms city mobility.
- Many commuters demand a rollback of the fare hike to revive affordability.
Click on the hyperlink to search out the detailed survey report.
Greenpeace India urged BMRCL to roll again the Namma Metro fare hike in a letter and referred to as on the federal government to prioritize reasonably priced, gender-sensitive and disability-friendly public transport over shifting prices onto commuters. The fare hike has led to a number of adjustments within the lives of individuals, with mother and father trying to shift faculties and folks throughout revenue teams shifting to different modes of transport.
Bengaluru, already battling extreme local weather impacts like air air pollution and warmth waves and is susceptible to excessive diploma of local weather change, wants larger funding in environment friendly public transit to sort out congestion and construct local weather resilience. As a substitute of fare hikes, measures like congestion costs and stricter parking insurance policies will help generate income whereas curbing extreme automotive use. The automotive centric infrastructure such because the proposed ₹19,000 crore tunnel venture will solely supply a short lived repair and divert vital funds from sustainable transport options.
Aakiz Farooq, Campaigner, Greenpeace India: “Public transport ought to serve the folks, not profit-driven motives. Bengaluru’s metro fare hike additional burdens commuters already combating affordability and accessibility. With our cities going through extreme environmental crises, investing in reasonably priced and environment friendly mass transit is important. There’s a want for a devoted public transport price range and each state and central governments should step as much as strengthen the mass transit system. The Authorities ought to introduce Local weather Tickets to incentivise public transport for commuters ”
People with daring protest messages – Un-Fare Hike, Unfair Cities, gathered at Kengeri metro station within the morning, the place they boarded a metro practice certain for MG Street whereas carrying placards and banners advocating for honest fares. Their silent but highly effective visible demonstration represented the burden that fare hikes place on peculiar residents, amplifying the general public outcry and reinforcing the necessity for reasonably priced, accessible, and sustainable city mobility.
With every fare enhance, Bengaluru’s metro—as soon as envisioned as an reasonably priced and inclusive public service—has turn into a system of exclusion, disproportionately affecting college students, IT employees, casual employees, ladies, and lower-income teams, office-goers amongst others. Many commuters are actually pressured to modify to costlier, extra polluting alternate options, rising street congestion and air pollution. Vehicular air pollution ranks because the second largest and a extremely constant supply of PM10 and PM2.5 particulate matter. This air pollution poses a severe menace to citizen well being and is a key driver of local weather change.
Irene Ann Kuttichira, Metro Commuter “As a every day commuter, I really feel each fare hike hits arduous. Many rely upon the metro for work or faculty, and better fares make commuting unaffordable and depart us with robust selections. We’re demanding a transport system that serves everybody—not simply those that can afford to pay extra.”
About Greenpeace India
Greenpeace India is an unbiased environmental group that campaigns for sustainable and equitable options to local weather change, air air pollution, and concrete mobility points. Via grassroots activism and coverage advocacy, Greenpeace India seeks to make cities extra habitable, breathable, and accessible for all.
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For media inquiries, please contact:
Aakiz Farooq: [email protected]
Nibedita Saha:
[email protected]
Nimisha Agarwal:
[email protected]
Web site: www.greenpeace.org/india
