If you live or work in Electronic City and use the elevated expressway, your expenses are set to rise. To add to the already high fuel prices, the monthly toll charges for the 10-kilometre stretch are set to increase from Sunday.
The monthly fee for two-wheelers is increasing to Rs 560 from the original Rs 545, an increase of 2.7%. For cars, an increase of 2.84% implies a charge of Rs 1,405, up from the original Rs 1,365. Monthly toll charges for buses and LCVs (minibuses) will also be hiked, to Rs 3,930 and Rs 1,965 respectively.
The cost for return trips on the same day has also gone up – there is a uniform increase of Rs 5 for bikes, LCVs, trucks, and buses. However, return trips for cars has not been hiked.
However, there won’t be any increase for single trips the same day. These remain at Rs 20 for two-wheelers, Rs 45 for cars, Rs 65 for LCVs and Rs 130 for trucks and buses.
Given the convenience of the expressway, it seems like commuters will have to pay up. The almost 10km stretch, from Madiwala to the heart of Electronic City, provides a signal-free ride, away from the congestion of the roads underneath.
The toll stretch is managed by Bangalore Elevated Tollway Pvt. Ltd. They said the hike was mandated by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and it was not in their hands.
An official of the NHAI, Prasad Reddy, told TNM, “The hikes are routine and annual and have been mandated in the contract. It is based on the WPI (Wholesale Price Index) and it was approved by the government when we awarded the contract to BETPL.”
The WPI is a measure of inflation often used by the Indian government to calculate hikes and rates. The percentage increases, of around 2.5-3% in each of the fares, are concurrent with this.
An estimated 60,000 vehicles use the elevated expressway daily.