Karnataka transport dept wants fare hike

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You may have to shell out more to commute on State Transport buses. The road transport corporations have stated that if the fares are not revised, profits will fall. Both KSRTC and BMTC have sent proposals to the State government seeking a fare revision.

BMTC and KSRTC are already running at a loss because of the two-day transport strike and one-day bandh in the past two weeks.

The corporations have been hard hit by a steep hike in diesel price and an increase in the salary of their employees: State corporations will have to fork out around Rs 2,600 crore additionally to pay employees under the recent pay revisions.

The corporations have written to the State government for additional grants to tide over the situation. However, it looks like a revision in fares is inevitable.

“We are aware of the fact that if BMTC fares are not increased, we will have to incur losses. We have sent a proposal to the State Government on the same and now it’s up to them to decide whether to go for the fare hike or not,” said BMTC managing director K.R. Shrinivasa.

Sources estimate that the recent increase in the price of diesel by Rs 5 has increased KSRTC’s operational costs by Rs 100 crore per annum.

The corporation has also incurred losses of over Rs 10 crore because of the bandh and two-day transport strike.

“Whenever there is a diesel hike, sending a proposal to the State Government to hike the fare is a routine thing to do. We have done the same and now the Government has to respond.

The rate at which the fare will be hiked has to be decided by the Government. If we don’t hike the fare, we will have to incur losses of Rs 324 crore,” said a senior KSRTC official.

BMTC and KSRTC hiked fares in June 2011 due to the then increase in diesel prices. BMTC increased fares by up to five per cent (up to Rs 2), and KSRTC by 5-8 per cent for different categories of buses.