Commuters unhappy as toll charges increase on Bengaluru Mysuru expressway just 15 days after collection started
The Hindu
While the toll charges for a single way journey on the expressway for cars was ₹135, it will be increased to ₹165 and for a return journey on the same day, the charges will jump from ₹205 to ₹250.
Barely one month after the toll collection started on the Bengaluru - Mysuru expressway, the charges are now scheduled to increase from April 1 in accordance with the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI)’s decision to increase toll charges on all the highways. After attracting backlash for its earlier decision to collect toll itself, the new decision has made the eyes of the commuters red.
While the toll charges for a single way journey on the expressway for cars was ₹135, it will be increased to ₹165 and for a return journey on the same day, the charges will jump from ₹205 to ₹250. Similarly, Light Commercial Vehicles (LCV) and mini buses would have to pay ₹270 instead of ₹220 for one way trip and ₹405 from ₹330 for a return journey while buses and trucks would have to pay ₹565 and ₹850 for a single way and two-way journey respectively from next month.
Also Read |Toll collection on Bengaluru-Mysuru expressway: Commotion, confusion and compromises on day 1
The commuters argued that toll collection was not justified when the work on the expressway itself was not complete and said that the NHAI should have waited for it to complete before increasing the toll. “The toll collection began just a few weeks ago and those amounts were higher as they were and now, this will further burn a hole in the pockets of commuters. They should have waited for at least a year and increased toll charges from April 2024 for this expressway,” said Daksha Kumar, a regular commuter.
Airport commute to get costlier too
Those travelling to and from Kempegowda International Airport will also have to pay more in toll charges now as the toll for a single way commute by car will go up from ₹105 to ₹110 and return trip will be charged ₹170 instead of the earlier charge of ₹160. The price for LCV and mini bus has been hiked to ₹170 for a single way trip (from ₹165) and ₹260 (from ₹245) for two ways. The toll for buses has also been increased to ₹345 and ₹495 for single and double way journeys.