Bengaluru: The Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) has clarified that it has not increased the fares of its regular monthly passes, dismissing reports suggesting a hike in pass prices.
The transport utility said the newly introduced ‘Regular Extended’ daily, weekly and monthly passes are meant exclusively for commuters travelling on routes beyond the city’s traditional operational limits and do not affect existing pass holders within Bengaluru.
According to BMTC, the move follows a state government decision to expand the corporation’s operational jurisdiction up to 40 km beyond the limits of the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA). As part of the expansion, BMTC services have been extended to several towns and taluk centres, including Kanakapura, Ramanagara, Channapatna, Magadi, Chikkaballapur and Malur.
Under the revised system, areas within 40 km of the city limits have been classified as the ‘limited area’, while destinations beyond that fall under the ‘extended area’ category. BMTC said all existing passes for commuters travelling within the limited area will continue without any change in fare or validity.
The corporation introduced the ‘Regular Extended’ passes for passengers using services in the extended area from June 2, 2026.
BMTC data showed that between June 2 and June 21, as many as 60,400 regular monthly passes were sold, while only 160 commuters opted for the newly introduced extended monthly passes.
The corporation said these figures clearly indicate that the new pass category is intended only for a small section of commuters travelling on extended routes. It reiterated that reports claiming a hike in regular monthly pass fares were misleading and urged passengers to rely on official information.
The clarification comes amid public discussion over transport fares and recent changes in BMTC’s service network following the expansion of its operational area.
