To:
Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw,
Hon’ble Union Cabinet Minister of Railways, Communications, and Electronics & Information Technology,
Government of India,
Room No. 256, Rail Bhawan, Raisina Road, New Delhi – 110001.

To:
Shri V. Somanna,
Hon’ble Union Minister of State for Railways and Jal Shakti,
Government of India,
Room No. 245, Rail Bhawan, Sansad Marg, New Delhi – 110001.

To:
Shri Satish Kumar,
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Railway Board,
Ministry of Railways, Government of India,
Rail Bhawan, New Delhi – 110001.

To:
The General Manager,
South Western Railway (SWR),
Rail Soudha, Gadag Road,
Hubballi – 580020

Copy to:
The Divisional Railway Manager (DRM),
Bengaluru Division, South Western Railway,
KSR Bengaluru – 560023

Subject: Representation opposing the levy of parking fees on bicycles at railway stations across India – Reg.
Respected Sir/Madam,
We write to register our strong opposition to the levy of parking fees on bicycles across railway stations under the South Western Railway (SWR) jurisdiction. While parking management and revenue generation are standard practices for motorized vehicles, imposing fees on bicycles is counterproductive to public transport adoption, sustainable mobility, and suburban rail patronage.
1. Conflict with Established Urban Mobility Policies
The decision to charge parking fees on bicycles runs contrary to both state and national mobility frameworks that actively incentivize non-motorized transport (NMT):
 * Directorate of Urban Land Transport (DULT) & BBMP: Karnataka’s Parking Policy 2.0 and the draft Greater Bengaluru Authority Parking Rules mandate paid parking for motorized private vehicles while granting an explicit, statutory exemption for bicycles across all municipal parking facilities.
 * Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL): Namma Metro has instituted dedicated, free bicycle parking across multiple high-ridership stations (including Baiyappanahalli, Mysore Road, Peenya Industry, and JP Nagar) and allows foldable bicycles inside coaches at no extra cost, directly fostering sustainable first-and-last-mile connectivity.
 * National Urban Transport Policy (NUTP): MoHUA guidelines urge transit operators to eliminate financial and physical friction for non-motorized transport to increase mass transit adoption.
2. Operational and Economic Reasons Against Bicycle Parking Fees
 * Minimal Space Footprint: A single car parking bay accommodates 8 to 10 bicycles. Levying fees on bicycles does not reflect their negligible spatial and maintenance footprint.
 * High Economic Disincentive: For regular suburban rail commuters, paying ₹10–₹15 daily for bicycle parking often equals or exceeds the one-way suburban train fare. This penalizes environmentally conscious and economically vulnerable commuters.
 * Incentivizing Motorized Congestion: Charging for cycles encourages commuters to switch to two-wheelers or informal drop-offs, adding vehicular congestion and pollution around already crowded station approach roads.
 * Marginal Commercial Yield: Revenue generated from bicycle parking tenders is negligible compared to overall station earnings, yet it creates unnecessary administrative overhead and discourages station footfall.
Our Request
We urge the South Western Railway administration to:
 * Immediately exempt non-motorized bicycles from all parking fees across railway stations.
 * Direct parking contractors to provide safe, dedicated, and well-monitored bicycle racks free of charge.
 * Align SWR’s parking and station access policies with Karnataka’s Parking Policy 2.0 and DULT guidelines to support integrated multimodal transit across Bengaluru and Karnataka.
Thank you. We look forward to your positive consideration.

Yours sincerely,
Pruthvin Reddy
Email: pruthvin98@gmail.com
Address: No. 6, Municipal Complex, Near Post Office, Anekal, Bengaluru - 562106