Hyderabad Metro Rail fare hike: BRS MLAs demand immediate rollback

In an open letter addressed to Chief Minister, they say Hyderabad, as a rapidly growing metropolis, should prioritise affordable public transportation rather than turning it into a profit-driven enterprise

Hyderabad: Strongly opposing the hike in Hyderabad Metro Rail fares, a group of 11 BRS MLAs from Hyderabad called it an unfair economic burden on the city’s commuters.

In an open letter addressed to Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, the legislators demanded that the Congress-led government immediately withdraw the increased fare, citing its impact on students, employees and daily wage workers. The revised fares, which reportedly raise ticket prices by Rs.10 to Rs.20 per trip, could add an extra Rs 500 to Rs 600 to the monthly transport costs of regular passengers, the MLAs argued.

The letter emphasised that Hyderabad, as a rapidly growing metropolis, should prioritise affordable public transportation rather than turning it into a profit-driven enterprise.

Citing the example of international metro systems in Singapore, Berlin, and Tokyo, the BRS leaders pointed out that governments across the world subsidize urban transport to make it accessible to the general public. They accused the Congress government of failing to support Metro commuters while presiding over rising fuel and essential commodity prices, further straining household budgets.

Drawing parallels to Karnataka, the MLAs claimed that a similar 100 per cent metro fare hike by the Congress government there had led to a 13 per cent drop in ridership. Public outrage had forced the Karnataka Chief Minister to intervene and reverse the decision, they noted while warning that Hyderabad could face similar consequences if the fare hike was not rolled back.

Beyond affordability, the letter highlighted concerns about traffic congestion and pollution while arguing that higher metro fares could push commuters toward private vehicles adding to environmental issues in the city. The MLAs also criticized the government’s failure to expand metro connectivity to under-served areas and suggested that public transport was being run like a profit-seeking venture rather than a crucial urban service.

The letter, signed by MLAs Talasani Srinivas Yadav, P Sabitha Indra Reddy, T Padma Rao Goud, Maganti Gopinath, KP Vivekanand, D Sudheer Reddy, M Krishna Rao, Mutha Gopal, Kaleru Venkatesh, Bandaru Lakshma Reddy and Marri Rajasekhar Reddy sounded a warning that unless the government withdraws the fare hike unconditionally, it will face severe backlash from Hyderabad’s residents.