Namma Metro commuters will have to shell out money to use the toilets at 12 stations from now on. The Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) has handed over the management of restrooms located in the unpaid areas of these stations to Sulabh International, a non-profit known for managing public sanitation facilities. According to a senior BMRCL official, users will now be required to pay ₹2 for urinal use and ₹5 for toilet use.

In the first phase, the stations where these charges have been introduced include National College, Lalbagh, South End Circle, Jayanagar, Rashtriya Vidyalaya Road, Banashankari, Jaya Prakash Nagar, Yelachenahalli, Sir M Visvesvaraya Station (Central College), Dr BR Ambedkar Station (Vidhana Soudha), Cubbon Park, and Krantivira Sangolli Rayanna Railway Station.

This move comes months after the implementation of a steep fare hike of up to 71%.

When Namma Metro first began operations in 2011 with a line connecting Baiyappanahalli to M.G. Road, the lack of access to the restrooms for the public became a contentious issue. In response to mounting public pressure, the Karnataka State Human Rights Commission had declared that the absence of toilets violated the fundamental rights of commuters. Eventually, BMRCL agreed to provide free restroom access to passengers within the paid concourse areas in 2015.

However, this latest decision to impose fees in unpaid zones has left many commuters angry. “We are already burdened with increased fares, and now even basic facilities like toilets come at a cost. This feels like profiteering in the name of convenience,” said Shalini R., a regular commuter from Jayanagar.

Another passenger, Santosh Kumar, who boards the metro at Banashankari, said, “Metro stations should be inclusive and people-friendly. Charging for toilets, especially when fares have just gone up, sends the wrong message about priorities.”

Some others said that if it means that toilets will be well-maintained, paying a nominal sum will not be a bad idea. “The metro stations are usually clean, but I cannot say the same about the toilets I have used in some of the stations. If collecting a nominal sum is going to improve cleanliness, then I don’t mind paying,” said Dharini. N, a commuter from Kengeri.