Massive traffic jam on Bengaluru’s Outer Ring Road leaves school kids stranded, sparks outrage

Bengaluru's Outer Ring Road faced severe traffic chaos during peak school hours, trapping hundreds of school buses and causing frustration.

It was yet another chaotic morning on Bengaluru’s infamous Outer Ring Road (ORR), as heavy traffic brought the stretch to a grinding halt during peak school hours on Wednesday. Tens of school buses were caught in the gridlock, leaving children and parents helpless as congestion snaked across several kilometres.

Tens of school buses were caught in the gridlock, leaving children and parents helpless in congestion (X/NammaBalagere)

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Images of long lines of school buses stuck in traffic quickly went viral on social media, sparking widespread concern and frustration. One such post by community page Namma Balagere on X showed a convoy of buses trapped near Balagere T-Junction. “Mess all around #ORR. 4KM long traffic jams since 7AM. Broken infra in this #IThub, school kids stuck in traffic,” the post read.

Commuters, however, were unforgiving in their criticism of the city’s civic bodies and traffic management. “It’s heartbreaking to see school kids go through this every day. They barely have breakfast and rush to board their buses, only to get stuck for hours. This happens every morning and evening near Varthur,” one user commented.

Another user questioned the logic behind using long school buses on narrow roads: “Why deploy such massive buses on these crammed stretches? They struggle even to take U-turns. What are the traffic police even doing?”

Yet another user slammed the BBMP’s planning. “This is not how roadwork is planned. If you had given the responsibility to the kids stuck in this jam, they might’ve done a better job than your officials,” the post read.

The ORR has long been a trouble spot for commuters, especially with civil works and Metro construction underway in several segments.