Metro fare hikes drive commuters away

Expensive public transport hits revenues with low ridership

Over the past two decades since modern metros began running in India, they have become essential to urban transport, meant to offer efficient, time-saving, option for daily commuters. However, repeated hikes in fares, especially in cities like Bengaluru, have sparked debates about affordability, especially for low-income groups who rely on metro travel.

As of 2025, there are 23 cities in 11 states of India with operational metro systems. These cities are home to over 1,000 km of metro network, according to PIB. The world over metros are popular among the people, rich and poor alike, as they are not only efficient but also affordable and sustainable, more so in view of the rising global warming for which transport is a key contributing factor.

However, metro fare hikes lately have sparked intense debates, particularly in cities like Delhi, Bengaluru, and Kochi. The fare revisions, seemingly aimed at covering the increasing operational costs and financing metro expansions, have raised significant concerns about affordability for daily commuters, particularly those from low-income backgrounds.

According to multiple reports, one of the main reasons behind these fare hikes is the escalating operational and maintenance costs. Metro systems, especially in large cities, require substantial investments in infrastructure maintenance, energy consumption, and expansion. 

Rising inflation, increasing costs of raw materials, and the need to ensure sustainable service delivery are among the pressures metro operators face. Additionally, the construction and development of new metro corridors designed to cater to the growing urban population create significant expenses, which are often passed on to commuters in the form of fare increases. This is a self-defeating vicious cycles as hiked fares drive customers away and which in turn hits the revenues the metro operators further. 

Impact on commuters

The impact of fare hikes is most strongly felt by daily commuters, especially low-income individuals who rely on metro travel due to its affordability.

The recent price increases in cities like Bengaluru have made commuting by metro significantly more expensive, leading to a decrease in ridership, particularly among vulnerable groups.

Bengaluru’s Namma Metro has recently implemented a significant fare hike, leading to a notable decline in ridership. Effective February 9, 2025, the maximum fare increased from INR 60 to INR 90, marking a 50 pc rise. Additionally, a 5 pc surcharge was introduced during peak hours. Commuters on some routes have even reported a 71 pc increase in ticket prices.

According to reports, the fare adjustment has resulted in a substantial drop in daily commuters. Before the hike, the metro served approximately 850,000 passengers daily. Post-hike, ridership has decreased to around 630,000, leading to a decline of almost 25 pc in total ridership on the network.

This pattern is echoed in other cities as well. In Delhi, where metro ridership exceeds 4.6 million daily passengers, fare hikes in 2017 also led to shifts toward other modes of transport, including buses and shared vehicles. 

“I do not use metros, it costs a lot. Busses are over-crowded and less convenient but at least they are cheap. For daily travel I use buses,” Rukhwati, a daily wage worker in Delhi, tells Media India Group.

For low-income groups, the effects of the fare hikes are particularly severe. These commuters not only face increased transportation costs but also have to endure longer and more uncomfortable commutes. 

Beyond the financial implications, fare hikes also highlight an equity issue. The metro system, which was designed to serve as an affordable, reliable public transport option for all, now risks becoming inaccessible to the very people who depend on it the most. 

Lower-income groups may find themselves priced out of metro travel altogether, which could reduce metro ridership and threaten the sustainability of the system. 

But even those who don’t mind the pinch of higher fares say that inadequacy of network and lack of frequent services means they can not regularly use the metro, even if they wanted.

“Luckily for me, I can afford metro even with the price hikes but on a daily basis it is still expensive. Even if it was cheaper, I would not have preferred it for my daily commute as the stations are less and too far. The metro routes are not properly developed either,” a Bengaluru resident tells Media India Group. 

Changing travel patterns

The shift in commuter behaviour due to increased metro fares is likely to have far-reaching consequences, including greater traffic congestion, a reduction in environmental benefits, and lower commuter satisfaction. 

As metro fares rise, many passengers are turning to alternative transportation options such as buses, shared vehicles, or even private cars, which only adds to the strain on existing road infrastructure.

For instance, Bengaluru, with a population of 14 million, is home to 12 million registered vehicles, including 8.2 million two-wheelers and 2.51 million cars. The city’s 14,000 km road network supports a vehicle density of about 857 vehicles per km, leading to a severe gridlock. During peak hours, the average speed is less than 10 km/h, illustrating the immense pressure on Bengaluru’s transport system.

Following the recent fare hike, Bengaluru Metro’s daily ridership has dropped by 10-13 pc, which is expected to increase road congestion and further strain other modes of public transport, such as buses. Public transport the world over is heavily subsidised, the case for subsidising fares in poor countries like India is even stronger, else these networks, built at the cost of billions of dollars, are likely to become unviable white elephants, with hardly any meaningful ridership.