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A Bengaluru man says a routine trip in Varthur turned into a 90-minute struggle to cover just 3 km, raising questions about how traffic affects businesses, workers and daily life.
The pair eventually left their car behind and walked home. (Instagram/souveek.builds)
A Bengaluru founder has spoken about the city’s traffic and bad roads after a short trip in Varthur took far longer than expected. He said the experience made him think about the impact of daily traffic on businesses and workers.
Souveek Ray said he was supposed to make a quick trip to a store, but ended up spending around 90 minutes covering just three kilometres. The situation became so difficult that he and another person left their car behind and walked home.
A Three-Kilometre Trip Takes 90 Minutes
Ray said the original plan was simple: drive to a store, drop off some products and return home. What he expected to take 10 to 20 minutes instead turned into a much longer journey.
“As founders, we deal with a lot of things, but this is something no one prepares you for. We were supposed to drive to a store in Varthur, drop off a few products and come back, a 10-20 minute job. Instead, we spent 1.5 hours trying to cross a 3-kilometre stretch. Unbelievable!” Ray said in the video.
He also pointed to the time spent covering the first part of the route. “Look at the screen. This is after we covered 1 kilometre in 45 minutes.”
The traffic and road conditions eventually forced them to change their plans. “Eventually, we had to leave the car at the store and walk back all the way back to our home. Just look at the roads, there’s barely anything that resembles a road,” he said.
Founder Questions The Cost Of Daily Traffic
Ray said the problem goes beyond an individual’s commute, especially in a city where businesses rely heavily on employees, delivery workers, retailers and customers travelling across different areas.
“How are businesses supposed to operate like this? How can delivery partners, retailers, employees, customers deal with this every single day, man?” he asked.
Ray also made it clear that his criticism was not about wanting to leave Bengaluru. He said he has lived in the city for 10 years and chose it as the place to build his business.
“Before anyone starts complaining and saying we should leave Bangalore and go back to where we come from, let me tell you, I’ve been here for the last 10 years. I love Bangalore, and that is why I’m building here,” he said.
Internet Users Say The Traffic Affects More Than Travel
The post drew reactions from people who said long traffic jams have become a regular part of life in Bengaluru.
A user wrote, “Spending 90 minutes for 3 km is shocking.” Another commented, “Completely frustrating.”
A person highlighted the effect on work, writing, “This is not just a traffic issue, it affects productivity too.” Another added, “Losing hours in traffic has become way too normal.”
Key Questions Answered
Ask News18Bengaluru’s traffic problems could be addressed by reorganising the Police Commissionerate into five units and ensuring coordination between the Greater Bengaluru Authority and the traffic police system. Additionally, increasing metro train frequency, such as the Yellow Line’s planned six-minute peak-hour frequency, could help. Measures like developing multi-modal transport hubs that integrate various transport options and using Intelligent Transport Systems and AI-based management systems could also improve traffic flow.
Ask News18About the Author
A team of writers at News18.com bring you stories on what’s creating the buzz on the Internet while exploring science, cricket, tech, gender, Bollywood, and culture.
August 16, 2026, 08:00 IST
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