According to reports, commuters will be charged Rs 2 for using urinals and Rs 5 for toilets.

Commuters will now have to pay to use toilets at 12 Namma Metro stations across the city. The Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) has outsourced the maintenance of these facilities to Sulabh International, a non-profit known for running public sanitation facilities across India, for a period of five years.

According to reports, commuters will be charged Rs 2 for using urinals and Rs 5 for toilets.

In the first phase, the pay-and-use model has been introduced at 12 metro stations across two lines. On the Green Line, charges are now applicable at National College, Lalbagh, South End Circle, Jayanagar, Rashtriya Vidyalaya Road, Banashankari, Jaya Prakash Nagar, and Yelachenahalli. On the Purple Line, the stations include Sir M Visvesvaraya Station (Central College), Dr BR Ambedkar Station (Vidhana Soudha), Cubbon Park, and Krantivira Sangolli Rayanna Railway Station.

This move follows a steep fare hike of up to 71% implemented by BMRCL just months ago. 

Toilet access in Namma Metro has long been a point of contention. When operations began in 2011, the lack of public toilets drew criticism from commuters and civil society groups. In 2013, the Karnataka State Human Rights Commission termed the absence of toilets a violation of commuters’ fundamental rights. BMRCL began providing free toilet access inside paid concourse areas in 2015.

Karnataka BJP state president BY Vijayendra has strongly criticised the move to introduce charges for toilet usage. “After a brutal 71% fare hike, the @INCKarnataka government in Karnataka has stooped to a new low — charging people to use toilets in the unpaid areas of 12 Bengaluru metro stations! In a city already grappling with rising costs and crumbling infrastructure, Congress has now found a way to monetise even basic human needs,” he said.