Bengaluru: BMTC has denied the claims that it has increased the price of ordinary bus monthly passes.In a press release Monday, the corporation stated that the monthly pass for travel in ordinary buses within city limits continues to cost Rs 1,200. It explained that its Rs 1,500 monthly pass includes services operating in the extended area beyond the city limits.According to BMTC, the govt has expanded the corporation’s operational jurisdiction in phases to meet growing public transport demand. While BMTC was initially permitted to operate up to 20km beyond Bengaluru city limits, the jurisdiction was extended to 25km beyond BBMP limits in 2014. In Jan 2026, the govt expanded the limit to 40km beyond the limits of the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA).Following the latest expansion, BMTC has extended services to several neighbouring towns, including Kanakapura, Ramanagara, Channapatna, Magadi, Chikkaballapura and Malur. The corporation said its service reach has increased from about 40–42km earlier to nearly 65–70km from the city centre.BMTC currently operates 6,295 schedules on 1,819 routes across its network. Of these, 216 schedules on 96 routes are being operated in the newly extended area.Officials said the Rs 1,500 monthly pass has been introduced to benefit commuters using these longer-distance routes and should not be construed as a revision of the existing ordinary bus pass fare.
