Bengaluru: The Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd. (BMRCL) has decided to charge a flat fare of Rs. 50 for the ticket for those who take a ride from Trinity, MG Road, and Cubbon Park stations during the extended hours during the New Year celebrations.

Smart card holders, however, will be exempted from this.

A BMRCL release said on Wednesday, “The uniform fare of Rs. 50 at these three stations will help facilitate quick issue of tickets and thus help in managing the rush.” The flat fare is applicable for metro services from 11 p.m. to 2 a.m. (December 31 – January 1).

Last year, more than 35,000 people used the metro during the extended hours. The number of passengers is likely to increase this year as BMRCL is operating trains on all the reaches of phase I, over a distance of 41 km.

“The smart card holders will be charged at the regular discounted fares for the distance travelled, even during the extended hours,” the release added.

The BMRCL has been operating extended hour services since 2011, but this is the first time that it has come up with a different fare structure for those hours.

However, the flat fare will be disadvantageous to those travelling shorter distances as they will have to shell out more. For example, from Trinity Circle to Indiranagar, the fare is Rs. 15, but they will have to pay Rs. 50 for this ride during the extended hours.