Karnataka may hike bus fares as Shivakumar says ‘KSRTC should also survive’

2 min readBengaluruJun 22, 2026 12:20 PM IST

The Karnataka government hiked bus fares by 15% in January 2025. (File Photo)

Karnataka Chief Minister D K Shivakumar has indicated that a hike in bus fares is under consideration because of rising fuel prices, but that any decision will be made with the people’s interests in mind.

“The difference in diesel prices between private and corporation depots is around Rs 40. This is a shocking number. It was decided earlier that if the price of diesel increases, ticket prices should increase. This should be reviewed again,” Shivakumar said following a Cabinet meeting on Saturday.

The Karnataka State Transport Corporation (KSRTC), which is offering government-subsidised free travel for women and is set to offer it to male students with bus passes—as announced by Shivakumar after taking over as the chief minister on June 3—is under additional financial pressure because of rising fuel prices.

“KSRTC should also survive. It should be suitable for the people. Because the prime minister himself has given guidance to use public transport to save fuel. This should be decided keeping in mind the interests of the people. Private companies are buying diesel from public bunkers instead of depots. I have heard a report on this,” Shivakumar said.

Last year, the government hiked bus fares by 15 per cent in January to cover rising operational costs following the launch of the Shakti scheme of free travel for women in 2023.

Last year, the government cited the “non-revision of ticket price for the last five years,” the increase in average daily diesel expenditure from Rs 9.16 crore to Rs 13.21 crore due to fuel price rises, and the “increase in staff cost due to 15 per cent wage revision during 2020-2023” as major factors for revising bus fares in the state.

Then transport minister Ramalinga Reddy argued last year that the government bus fares in Karnataka were lower, even after the 15 per cent hike, when compared with those in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Maharashtra, “in terms of paise/km currently charged”.

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The government has granted Rs 8,800 crore for running the Shakti scheme, implemented since June 11, 2023.