Bengaluru techie's 25 kms commute nightmare: ‘Everyone's angry, sweaty, and silently screaming'

Hindustan Times

4 days ago

A viral post by a frustrated software engineer from Bengaluru has gone viral, shedding light on the grim realities of daily commuting in the city after return-to-office mandates resumed in full swing. The techie, who describes himself as a 'proud Bangalorean, born and raised,' shared his ordeal of traveling 25 km to and from work.(PTI)
The post, titled 'Bengaluru public transport + return to office = certified insanity', paints a chaotic picture of packed buses, unsafe drop-off points, and fraying tempers on the city's roads, particularly along the notoriously congested Outer Ring Road.
Read his full post here:
Reddit viral post.(Life_In_Progress13)
The techie, who describes himself as a 'proud Bangalorean, born and raised,' shared his ordeal of traveling 25 km to and from work using public transport, a decision he made believing it would be the responsible, eco-friendly choice. Instead, he describes the commute as 'a test of endurance.'
'This is not commuting. This is survival,' he wrote, in a post that has now struck a chord with thousands of city dwellers.
Among the incidents he recounted was being dropped on a flyover near Nagawara Junction, instead of at a designated bus stop. With no footpath or crossing in sight, he was forced to dodge high-speed traffic to get to the other side, just to catch another bus. When he tried to board a waiting bus at a signal, the conductor yelled, 'This is not a stop! Go to the bus stop!'
'Bro. Your colleague just dropped me in the middle of nowhere. What stop??' he wrote, calling it 'real clownery.'
He also criticised the behavior of BMTC staff, saying, 'The driver looks like he's five seconds away from quitting, and the conductor treats you like you owe him rent.'
The Reddit post also took a jab at the seemingly never-ending metro construction on Outer Ring Road (ORR), which has compounded traffic woes. He summed up the commute as 'a team-building exercise for introverts, a cardio session for the brave, and a lesson in patience for all.'
The post, which quickly gained traction across social media platforms, has reignited debate over the state of Bengaluru's public transport infrastructure, particularly for long-distance commuters who don't own private vehicles.
(Also Read: Karnataka's free bus travel spurs 23% rise in women's employment in Bengaluru: Report)