Bengaluru: Following a steep hike in diesel prices in the last few days, the State Government has proposed to hike bus fares of State Road Transport Corporations by 18%. The Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) and other regional transport Corporations have incurred a loss of Rs.186 crore during the last three months owing to hike in fuel prices, said Minister for Transport D.C. Thammanna.

Transport Minister D.C. Thammanna told reporters in Bengaluru yesterday that a hike in bus fares has become “inevitable”, owing to the periodic rise in fuel prices. The Department will announce a decision to this effect in a week’s time, after obtaining the green signal from Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy. Details of hike in different routes will have to be worked out and will be announced soon, he said.

The four public transport Corporations had proposed a hike of 18% to 20%, in the first week of July. The Government, which was just a month old in office, however, kept the proposal in abeyance. Bus fares were last hiked (7.97%) in May 2014 when diesel prices had hit Rs.59.59 per litre. The fares were, however, brought down by 2% in January 2015 when diesel prices came down considerably.

Bus passes

The Minister said that a decision on providing free buses for school and college students will be taken soon after consultation with Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy. Already a majority of students have obtained bus passes by paying a fee. He hinted that free bus passes might be issued only from the next academic year.