Guess what 400 signatures could get you in Bengaluru? A bus
This new service will greatly benefit many residents of Kaggadasapura-C V Raman Nagar by providing convenient, affordable, and reliable last-mile connectivity to the metro station. https://t.co/j3NW3LItGd pic.twitter.com/KXUCWxPGjI
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Time of India
2 days ago
- Time of India
Bengaluru's Inner Ring Road makes turnaround after citizen-group intervention
Bengaluru: The 7.5km stretch of the Inner Ring Road (IRR) — from Indiranagar KFC Junction to Madiwala Masjid in Koramangala — has long struggled with traffic congestion caused by the crawling Ejipura flyover project, road safety issues, inadequate pedestrian access, missing crossings, and poor bus frequency. But when citizen-centric organisations collaborate with govt agencies, changes happen. In the past two years, IRR has seen a drastic drop in road accidents and fatalities. Bus frequency has improved to nearly five minutes. Some 4,000 tonnes of construction debris has been removed. And, there is illumination of pedestrian stretches. Commemorating the turnaround, the Bangalore Political Action Committee (BPAC) Saturday unveiled the 'IRR Street: Standstill to Active' report detailing the significant improvements thanks to collaboration with govt agencies such as BBMP, BMTC, Bengaluru Traffic Police, and Bengaluru Solid Waste Management Limited (BSWML). You Can Also Check: Bengaluru AQI | Weather in Bengaluru | Bank Holidays in Bengaluru | Public Holidays in Bengaluru A major development was the increase in bus services along the corridor. From Nov 2023 to July 2025, the BMTC fleet on the route expanded from 17 to 26 buses, and the number of daily trips rose from 169 to 227. In terms of road safety, the implementation of rumble strips, raised crossings, and zebra crossings at identified blackspots led to a dramatic reduction in accidents. Between Nov 2024 and Jan 2025, there were zero fatalities and only one non-fatal crash, a stark contrast to the five fatal crashes recorded in the previous year, the report pointed out. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Up to 70% off | Libas Purple Days Sale Libas Undo Additionally, over 4,300 tonnes of debris, 130 construction barricades, and 129 tonnes of garbage were cleared from medians and footpaths. Flooding, a perennial issue, has also been tackled with the construction of shoulder drains with kerb inlets at intervals of 5-7 metres, reduced from the previous 30-metre intervals. However, footpaths and walkability remain major issues that have not been significantly rectified in the area. BBMP chief commissioner Maheshwar Rao, who unveiled the report, said, "If you increase the footpaths, you will definitely increase the carrying capacity and it will reduce a lot of other issues and promote safety. This is something we are committed to." Mobility still remains a problem IRR area, being a hub of multinational companies, continues to struggle with limited public transport. On a typical weekday, the path records severe congestion levels, with the queue length exceeding 750 metres, with Wednesdays seemingly having the highest traffic congestion. As per the latest available data from BTP, the congestion length recorded in the city was on June 11, 2025 (Wednesday) at 94.1 km, highlighting a huge mobility crisis. The number for next Wednesday, June 16, was 81.9km. While there is no specific congestion-related data available for IRR, the issues in IRR also point towards the huge number of private vehicles. The only accessible mass public transport for the residents is BMTC buses. An audit conducted by BPAC from 2023 to 2025 at the bus stops of the corridor shows significant overcrowding from 8am to 10am on working days. BMTC buses on routes MF-5/1 & MF-5/8, 201G/3, and 201G/4 were found overcrowded throughout the week across different hours. Despite BMTC increasing its services, the crisis continues. While there is a bus every five minutes, experts argue that the lack of live information regarding schedules creates overcrowding as commuters are unaware of the next bus. "When we observed across bus stops, we found out that several buses get full to the extent that it becomes difficult to breathe. But the next 2-3 buses coming after that go empty as working people don't have a clue of the next bus," said Priyanka Krishnan, research associate, BPAC.
Hindustan Times
2 days ago
- Hindustan Times
Bengaluru techie's 25 kms commute nightmare: ‘Everyone's angry, sweaty, and silently screaming'
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)
NDTV
4 days ago
- NDTV
How This Engineer's Campaign Led To Bengaluru's First Feeder Bus
Bengaluru: There is a story behind Metro Feeder Bus 314A/1, launched on July 19 by Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) to serve the residents of Kaggadasapura and C V Raman Nagar. And the moral of the story too: when people get together, they can get things done. It took 400 signatures from citizens concerned and three months of hustling the power that be before the long-awaited bus materialised. The feeder bus, apart from serving residents, is also expected to benefit those working in Bagmane Tech Park as well as the employees of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) office in Kaggadasapura. The campaign started in 2024, said Shachi Pathak, a resident of Kaggadasapura who led the campaign. "To get that 400 signatures was not easy, but it was easier than my first civic campaign to rejuvenate Kaggadasapura lake. Now, I understand how to go about these things: persuasion is the key," said Pathak to PTI. Pathak, who has been active in civic volunteering space since 2022, knows how the system works, agreed Srinivas Alavilli, Senior Fellow at WRI India, who works on creating sustainable transport solutions. "She understood the route needs, mobilised her neighbours and apartment associations. Collected 400 signatures and then submitted a formal petition to BMTC in person," he added. A software engineer, who had to quit her job for personal reasons, Pathak said she now runs a firm that provides resume writing consultation. Pathak, 44, moved to Bengaluru from Varanasi after her marriage in 2006. "Initially, I started by volunteering to manage social media groups of residents from C V Raman Nagar and K R Puram constituencies. It didn't take me long to realise that there is a huge gap between people having issues and authority taking action. To bridge this gap, we need more active citizens," she added. Pathak recalled how when she finally stood up for Kaggadasapura lake, she stood alone as no one really knew her. "It was also a lonely battle, because people had by then given up. I was not the first one to talk about it. But I still surveyed and collected feedback from hundreds of residents and submitted it to the Chief Commissioner and MLAs," said Pathak. The success of that project and her conviction had people rallying behind her for the subsequent campaigns. Around October 2023, Pathak said she joined the group of people who were pushing for the first feeder bus for the area. "The first bus came easily enough, in just a month, but one feeder bus service was not enough to cover the whole area, so our neighbourhood got left out," said Pathak. The next phase of their campaign faced delays, she added. "BMTC was slow to act on some of our suggestions, and key routes like Kaggadasapura Main Road remained unaddressed. Additionally, damaged roads forced us to pause efforts for a while. After the Lok Sabha elections in mid-2024, we revived the campaign with renewed energy," she said. Over the years of dealing with authorities, Pathak said she understood the power of people getting together. "One person does not matter to the authorities. The more people, the better it is for the campaign. Also, persuasion is a continuous process. So, I realised that it is very important to keep people engaged and to build a community," said Pathak. This is where 'X', Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp, came to her help, said Pathak. Through various groups, she and other volunteers cater to the social needs of her neighbourhood. "We help residents to connect with each other to get information or advice on education, real estate, reselling of old items, or even pursue their hobbies. We also have a group for Kannada learning. Many women entrepreneurs are benefitting from these groups," said Pathak. Another citizen group that is leveraging social media to build a community is the popular HSR Citizen Forum, whose sustainable living campaigns often go viral. Incidentally, the first successful feeder bus service was introduced in HSR Layout in August 2023. Shashidhara K, a member of HSR Citizen Forum, said because they were selected by Directorate of Urban Land Transport (DULT)'s Sustainable Mobility Accords (SuMA) Initiative, due to their proactive citizen initiatives, they could plan the route and stops, based on the feedback from residents, making the service most effective in Bengaluru. "We planned this over three years with DULT. We had bus stops at every 300 m, about 18 of them, and situated in such a way that either direction commuters would have access to a bus every 5 to 8 minutes," said Shasidhara. But where HSR Citizen Forum really won is in its relentless outreach efforts. The campaign that lasted three months ingrained the idea of using feeder buses that they run full almost at any time, said Shanthi Tummala, an active member of the citizen forum, to PTI. People, irrespective of their social standing, have developed the habit of jumping into them instead of taking their private vehicles, she added. Tummala said BMTC had introduced feeder buses twice before in HSR Layout and had to phase them out as they didn't get expected traction. "This time, we decided to involve citizens even during the planning stage. We put out route maps at every place possible. We literally drove into every resident's head about the availability of service, timings and the route. It has paid off now," added Tummala.
