A subsidiary school bus covers 2 km in Bengaluru in 2 hours; parent says ‘totally helpless’ | Today’s news
A Bengali father’s report that his daughter’s school bus took two hours to cover just 2 km on the Varthur-Gunjur road has sparked concern online as other parents have shared similar experiences of traffic jams in the area.
Bengaluru resident Hari described feeling “absolutely helpless” when his daughter was left stranded on the school bus.
“Today my daughter’s school bus took 2 hours to travel just 2 km on Varthur/Gunjur road. I sat there as a parent for those 2 hours feeling totally helpless,” Hari wrote on X.
He said he and his wife pay thousands each month in taxes and took out a home loan to live near their daughter’s school, hoping to give her a safer and easier commute. “And yet here it means ‘2 km from school,'” he wrote.
“Please give our children a safe journey”
Hari also mentioned incidents he said residents have witnessed in the past year, including a school bus being overturned, a woman seriously injured after falling and a motorcyclist nearly losing his life after falling through a pothole.
“Every day, ordinary people here tweet, email, complain, follow and plead with the authorities. We are not activists. We are not fighting for a political party. We are parents, employees, families and taxpayers asking for one basic thing: Please give our children a safe way to come home.”
He added: “Today, more than the traffic, I was broken by the feeling that despite doing everything a responsible citizen is supposed to do, I have absolutely no power to protect my own child.”
Similar experiences are shared by several parents
Bengaluru businessman Ritish Reddy also posted a report on the traffic situation on 17 September. Co-founder and CEO Zluri shared a video showing the traffic jam stretching for several kilometers in the Varthur-Gunjur area.
“2+ hours. Every day. That’s the time Whitefield kids spend on Varthur Road 5km commute,” Reddy wrote on X.
“My own daughter is stuck right now as I post this. Whitefield deserves better than this,” he said.
According to a report in The Hindu, Bengal Traffic Police sources attributed the congestion to ongoing infrastructure work in the area.
The situation prompted other users to discuss traffic management, road congestion and infrastructure in Bengaluru. One user suggested that working from home should be made mandatory where possible, while another said her daughter’s journey on the same route had recently been extended from the usual 3.30pm arrival to 5.30pm.
“We also need CSR funding for these areas to ensure we can all commute everyday without problems. It’s only getting worse,” another user wrote.
