Why is Bengaluru Metro among the costliest?

#Bengaluru #Metro is among the costliest in the country. Ever wondered why?
The usual explanations are well known:
- Delays in execution
- High land acquisition costs
- Rising wage bills

But there’s a structural problem we don’t talk about enough: low utilisation due to poor last-mile connectivity.
Many metro stations in Bengaluru simply don’t work for daily commuters.
- Parking facilities are missing or inadequate
- Even where land is available, empty plots haven’t been acquired for parking, but sold to private players to make Tech Parks!
- Auto fares remain arbitrary
- Metro frequency on several stretches is still sub-optimal
As a result, commuters often conclude that using personal vehicles is still more convenient than switching to the Metro.

Take Silk Board → Electronic City as an example.
Thousands travel this stretch daily. A large, multi-level parking facility at Silk Board, combined with reliable metro frequency, could have meaningfully reduced road congestion and boosted ridership. Instead, the opportunity was missed.
Lower ridership → higher cost per passenger → expensive Metro.

So what could turn the tables?
Shared autos for last-mile connectivity!
Shared autos can bridge the gap between homes and metro stations at scale, cheaply and quickly, and significantly improve metro utilisation.

Infrastructure alone doesn’t solve urban mobility; integration does.

If Bengaluru wants the Metro to be affordable and effective, fixing last-mile connectivity is no longer optional; it’s critical.