Bengaluru:  Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy on Saturday announced that the bus fare revision will be decided in a week.

All the four Road Transport Corporations of the State — KSRTC, NWKRTC, NEKRTC and BMTC — have been pitching for fare hike citing huge losses. In 2017-18, the four Corporations incurred a cumulative loss of Rs. 600 crore owing to rise in fuel prices and increasing operational expenses.

The Transport Department on Sept.17, 2018 had issued an order allowing the Corporations to increase bus fares by 18 percent. However, the orders turned out to be a huge embarrassment for the Chief Minister as it was issued on the day fuel tax was slashed by Rs. 2 per litre and within hours, the order was put on hold.

Meanwhile, Transport Minister D.C. Thammanna said that the Chief Minister has directed the Transport Corporations to also consider the option of introducing variable bus fares keeping in mind the fluctuation in fuel prices.

Maintaining that this system of pricing will help both the public and the Transport Corporations, Thammanna said that as there is fluctuation is diesel prices, the CM has instructed the Corporations to consider pricing bus fares accordingly.