Despite the latest fare hike from August 25, Delhi Metro remains one of the most affordable metro services in the country. But that is not a relief to some, especially at a time when the overall cost of living is going up. Photo: iStock
Delhi Metro fare hike leaves low-income household budgets strained
DMRC says the hike was due to financial challenges, including losses during COVID and loan repayments
Every weekday morning, Jessica sets out from her home in Swaroop Nagar, traversing a long distance to her college in Maharani Bagh.
A diploma student of computer engineering at the Meerabai Delhi Skill and Entrepreneurship University (DSEU), her journey involves a bus ride to Jahangirpuri, a switch to the Metro, a line change, and then another bus from the Ashram to her campus. It takes her about an hour each way. Until last week, this cost her Rs 50 one way.
But on Wednesday morning, after Delhi Metro’s fare hike came into effect, Jessica found herself paying Rs 54.
“That may not sound like much to others, but for me it means Rs 108 every single day, five days a week. My father works as a painter, and my mother is a housewife. We manage our expenses very carefully. For us, even an extra Rs 4 per trip makes a big difference. I’ll shift to taking buses now because they’re free, but that means changing three or four buses and spending double the time to reach college. I don’t know how I will manage,” she said.
Fare hike
For some like her, who come from low-income families, even a “minimal” fare hike has repercussions. However, many commuters are not yet aware of the fare hike.
The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) announced on August 25 that fares had gone up by Rs 1 to 4, depending on the distance. The hike has come after eight years. The minimum fare is now Rs 11 instead of Rs 10, while the longest journey costs Rs 64 instead of Rs 60. Fares for Sundays and national holidays are lower.
Additionally, the Airport Express Line has seen a hike of up to Rs 5.
Financial challenges
In a statement, the DMRC spokesperson said the fare hike was a result of “considerable financial challenges”.
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“The losses incurred during the COVID period and the loan repayment commitments to JICA have posed a grave challenge to DMRC’s resources. The need for mid-life refurbishment of the Delhi Metro trains, civil assets, and machinery, the expenditure on general upkeep of the network, and salaries to the human resources have also continued during this period,” it said in a statement.
“Without any increase in passenger fares in the last eight years, the financial condition of the corporation was in considerable strain. Taking th above into consideration, the fare revision, ranging from ₹1 to ₹4, has now been implemented,” it added.
A DMRC spokesperson said that in the financial year 2023-24, the Delhi Metro incurred “a loss before tax amounting to ₹1,781.69 crores”, and for 2024-25, the losses are “likely to be ₹1,598 crores (unaudited)”.
“This minimal increase in fares will only marginally alleviate the losses being suffered by DMRC. This additional revenue will just help DMRC maintain its world-class operational standards by ensuring the timely upkeep of its trains and other infrastructure, which is now ageing,” he said.
Affordable metro service
“Worldwide, Metro services are operated primarily as a public service. The benefits these systems provide to the society in terms of enhanced connectivity and ease of mobility are far reaching. DMRC also operates the Delhi Metro network with the same objective of providing world class mobility to the passengers at reasonable costs,” he added.
Also read: At 78.67 lakh, Delhi Metro records highest daily ridership
Even with the fare increase, Delhi Metro remains one of the most affordable metro services in the country. But that is not a relief to some, especially at a time when the overall cost of living is going up.
Sanjay Kumar, an AC service worker who travels from Sultanpur to INA, explained how tight his monthly budgeting already is. “I take an auto from my house to Kotla, then the Metro to work. Of course, it will have an impact on us, but buses are even more inconvenient because they’re not very well connected,” he said.
Inadequate public transportation
At Seelampur station, Prabhu Dayal, who works as a clerk, also debated trade-offs. “What can we say, even if it bothers us? I have to decide – should I save time, or should I save money instead? If I take the bus, it will take me much longer to reach Rajiv Chowk. But with the metro, every day, the cost is more. I think for convenience, I will end up choosing the metro even if it is more expensive,” he said.
The increase in metro fare may not be much, but it is an indicator of the overall condition of public transportation in Delhi.
According to reports, as of July 2025, around 2,400 DTC (Delhi Transport Corporation) buses had been pulled off the roads in the past 18 months. In January 2024, the total number of buses on the road was 8,240, which has now dropped to 5,835.
According to reports, the DTC plans to continue phasing out old buses, which will further reduce the fleet.
New slabs
Meanwhile, some are resorting to making tactical decisions to beat the fare hike. Sachin Singh, a daily commuter from Noida Sector 52 to IFFCO Chowk, saw inconsistencies in the new slabs.
“I stayed late at the office one day, and I noticed that the fare for me had increased one way (while going to the office), but not the other way, because of the timings. So, I might spend some more time in Noida and leave a little late,” he said.
The Delhi Metro fares were initially revised in 2004. A second revision occurred in 2005, followed by a third in 2009. Two more revisions took place in May and October 2017.
