Bengaluru: Within a couple of hours after State Road Transport undertakings (KSRTC, BMTC, NEKRTC and NWKRTC) announced an 18 percent fare hike on Monday, CM H.D. Kumaraswamy reversed the decision, putting on hold the fare hike.

On Monday evening, following the Government’s announcement on bus fare hike, the State Road Transport officials were busy computing the per stage change in fares, when the Chief Minister’s Office released a statement that the hike has been withdrawn for now.

Sources in the CM’s Office said that Kumaraswamy ordered the Transport Corporations to withhold the hike until further orders stating that the timing was inappropriate as it came alongside a Rs. 2 reduction in petrol and diesel prices.