Published Nov 04, 2026 | 2:32 PM ⚊ Updated Nov 04, 2026 | 4:17 PM
Transport Minister Byrathi Suresh justified the increase by citing rising diesel prices and mounting losses in the four transport corporations.
Synopsis: Bus fares across Karnataka’s four state-run transport corporations will increase by 23 percent to 35 percent from 5 November, Transport Minister Byrathi Suresh announced on Wednesday. He justified the increase by citing rising diesel prices and mounting losses in the four corporations. He also maintained that the fare increase had nothing to do with the Congress government’s flagship guarantee scheme, Shakti, and said the state government bears the entire cost of the scheme.
The Karnataka government has hiked bus fares across the four state-run transport corporations, with the revised rates coming into effect on 5 November.
Fares in the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC), North Western Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (NWKRTC) and Kalyana Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (KKRTC) will increase by 23 percent, while those in the Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) will rise by 32 percent to 35 percent, Transport Minister Byrathi Suresh announced on Wednesday.
In BMTC, the minimum fare will increase from ₹6 to ₹10 and the maximum from ₹35 to ₹45. On its non-airport Volvo Vajra services, the minimum fare will rise from ₹15 to ₹20 and the maximum fare for a 60-km journey from ₹75 to ₹90. KSRTC Express fares will increase by ₹19, from ₹81 to ₹100.
Suresh had earlier justified the increase by citing rising diesel prices and mounting losses in the four transport corporations.
“We are not taking this decision arbitrarily. The Central Government has increased diesel prices five times in the last nine months. Our four transport corporations have already incurred losses of approximately ₹9,000 crore, with annual losses amounting to around ₹2,000 crore,” he told reporters on Sunday.
“We have to pay salaries and purchase diesel, and these expenses are beyond our control. In particular, we cannot afford to keep purchasing diesel at such high prices. Otherwise, it would become increasingly difficult for us to manage our operations.”
The fare increase comes days after the state Cabinet decided to raise the price of Nandini milk supplied by the Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF) by ₹8 a litre from 1 November.
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Suresh maintained that the fare increase had nothing to do with the Congress government’s flagship “guarantee” scheme, Shakti, which provides women and transgender persons free travel on non-luxury buses across the state. He said the government reimburses the corporations for the cost of journeys made under the scheme.
“There is some misunderstanding surrounding the Shakti Scheme. It is a dream initiative of our Congress party. We promised the women of Karnataka free bus travel, and we are fulfilling that commitment,” he said at a press conference on Wednesday.
“The government reimburses all four transport corporations for the expenses incurred under the Shakti Scheme. Not even a single rupee is borne by the transport corporations themselves. The entire amount comes from the government. Therefore, the Shakti Scheme is not a financial burden or a source of losses for our department.”
The Minister said the government had paid approximately ₹16,595.75 crore to the four state-run transport corporations towards the Shakti scheme since 2023. Another ₹6,360 crore remains pending, he said. He added that he would “do the maximum” to secure the outstanding reimbursements.
(Edited by Dese Gowda)
