Bengaluru: The minimum balance on smart cards for the Namma Metro has been raised by the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) from Rs 8.50 to Rs 50! Angry commuters, who depend on the metro for travel, have termed this move a “daylight robbery”, as they were caught unawares by the announcement.
The corporation has received a lot of criticisms online for the move, mostly because the minimum cost of travel (to the next station) is only Rs 8.50. The fact that the BMRCL did not give prior information about the move, causing many to end up at the stations with a low balance, has also irked the commuters.
The BMRCL, however, has reportedly justified that this is being done to “avoid inconvenience to the metro commuters”, who need to top up their contactless smart cards at the destination stations. According to the BMRCL’s press release, the rule has come into effect from March 27 evening, raising the minimum balance of the smart cards to Rs 50 at the originating station.
BMRCL spokesperson Yashwant Chavan said that the new rule was brought into play because the commuters were misusing the minimum balance. This led to altercations between the metro staff and passengers, he stated.
