The Bengaluru bus transport body, Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) has decided to revise its fare rate after receiving severe backlash for allowing only pass holders to commute. The pass could have either been a daily pass, monthly pass, or a weekly pass.
The standard fare for a daily BMTC pass is Rs. 70 and the newly introduced weekly pass was priced at Rs. 300. The move to go pass only was to ensure that the passengers don’t come in contact with the conductor often. However, the BMTC was severely criticized for the move as many of the poor could not afford to buy the passes.
On Monday, the BMTC came out with a statement saying that the fares will remain as normal but with one change. The fares will be rounded off to the closest multiple of five in order to minimize cash handling and change transactions. This will also serve its earlier purpose of not having contact with the conductor as often as it was before.
According to the new structure, the fares have been slabbed under 6 categories. For the travel up to 2km, the price of a ticket is Rs. 5. For the travel between 3 and 4 km, the fare is Rs. 10, between 5 and 6 km is Rs. 15, between 7 and 14 km the fare is Rs. 20, between 15 and 40 km the fare is Rs. 25 and for the travel beyond 40 km, the price is Rs. 30 per ticket.
Digital Ticketing
In order to issue tickets without contact, the transport body is undertaking digital ticketing or QR code-based system. The system, as per the BMTC, has been implemented in 750 buses as of now and will be expanded in the coming weeks. However, they will continue to issue daily, monthly, and weekly passes for those who want to buy.
In the statement, the BMTC reiterated its guidelines and asked the passengers to board the bus with the exact change for buying tickets. It also said that all passengers need to wear facemasks mandatorily and requested the passengers to maintain hygiene while on the journey. The BMTC bus services resumed upon the commencement of the fourth phase of the lockdown due to the coronavirus outbreak.
Source: The News Minute
