Reportedly in an unexpected move, the Karnataka state road transport authorities have hiked the fees for student bus passes this year. Recently the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) has added a processing fee of Rs 200 to the bus passes. According to sources the bus pass fare will increase by Rs 200 and will vary for student-passengers in high school, pre-university, engineering, medical and evening colleges.
Meanwhile with this, the bus passes for primary school students, which were free until now, will cost Rs 200. For renewing smart card bus passes, the BMTC has added a processing fee of Rs 170 for all student passes. Furthermore the Transport Department officials says Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) is also slated to announce an increase in fare of student bus passes soon.
Moreover the BMTC has started issuing new smart card bus passes for students this year. The BMTC is expected to issue 3.5 lakh to 4 lakh smart cards this year, including renewal of the cards issued the previous year. BMTC said in a press release “Students bus passes have been subject to concessions every year as the government bears 50% of the total cost, while the transport corporations bear 25% of the cost and students will have to pay the remaining 25%”.
