Karnataka Government Plans Bus Fare Hike from November 5
Transport Minister Byrathi Suresh says the extent of the proposed increase will be decided at a meeting on November 4.
Bengaluru (Fikrokhabar News): The Karnataka government is planning to increase ticket fares on state run transport buses from November 5. Transport Minister Byrathi Suresh said the final decision on the extent of the hike would be taken at a meeting scheduled for November 4.
Speaking to reporters in Chikkaballapur, Suresh said the revised fares would be decided during Wednesday’s meeting. He is also the district in charge minister for Chikkaballapur.
The proposed fare hike comes just days after milk prices in the state were increased by ₹8 per litre from November 1, adding to the financial burden on residents.
Explaining the reason behind the proposed increase, Suresh said the four state transport corporations were facing annual losses of around ₹2,000 crore. He further claimed that the corporations had suffered losses of ₹9,000 crore following five diesel price increases by the Central Government within one year.
Responding to criticism from Chikkaballapur MP Dr. K. Sudhakar, the minister said bus fares in Karnataka were comparatively lower than those in other states. He also challenged the MP to compare fares with those in states governed by the BJP.
Questioning the criticism, Suresh asked whether the government should shut down the loss making transport corporations instead of taking steps to improve their financial position.
The exact amount of the proposed fare increase is expected to be decided at the November 4 meeting.