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Bengaluru commuter shares 3-hour ordeal for 12-km journey: 'We’ve normalised this chaos'
A Bengaluru commuter’s 3-hour struggle for a 12-km ride went viral on Reddit.
Bengaluru’s infamous traffic woes are once again under scrutiny, this time due to a viral Reddit post that captured the raw frustration of a city dweller navigating the city’s unpredictable transport ecosystem.
A Reddit user, posting under the handle @AverageGamer411, shared their ordeal of what should have been a short 12-kilometre journey home from work. "Left office at 6 pm. Got home at 9:15. My house is 12 km away. There was no rain. No protest. No accident. Just Bengaluru being… Bengaluru," the user wrote. The post, shared on Reddit, has struck a chord online, racking up over 800 upvotes and hundreds of comments within hours.
(Also read: ‘We have two choices’: Bengaluru resident proposes solution to city’s traffic woes, sparks debate)
From bus delays to auto drama
Detailing the breakdown of their journey, the user said, “The bus that usually covers my route didn’t show up today. Nothing on Tummoc or Namma BMTC, just silence. Waited a while, then gave up and took a different bus hoping to switch mid-way. That one dropped me somewhere in between, and then began the great auto hunt.”
The frustration grew as attempts to hail an auto through the Namma Yatri app failed. “Not a single driver accepted unless I tipped ₹50+. ‘Optional tip’ is the biggest joke in this city. Meter? LOL. Eventually paid more for an auto than I’d pay for an intercity bus. And the worst part? I wasn’t even surprised. Just… drained.”
A city of startups, but no solutions?
In a biting reflection, the post added, “This is supposed to be the startup capital of the country. A city full of people building tools to ‘solve urban problems.’ You'd think basic commuting would be one of the first things we'd figure out. Instead, we’ve normalised this chaos.”
The user continued, “We expect it. We pad in delays, carry a backup charger, keep an extra water bottle, mentally prep ourselves for war every time we leave work… the city slowly chips away at you, not with one big failure, but with a thousand little ones every day.”
Check out the post here:
Internet reacts
The post sparked a flood of relatable comments. “Not only that, but they've also gotten rid of bike taxis,” one user lamented. Another added, “One of the greatest blunders in this city is that the most crowded places haven't been connected by metro—and god knows when that'll even happen!”
(Also read: Bengaluru man compares city with Delhi, Mumbai in viral post: ‘Worst traffic and highest salaries’)
One person commented. “Earlier the problem was just traffic. Now it’s traffic and getting transport too,” wrote another.
A frustrated user pointed out the worsening infrastructure: “Road conditions are pathetic, especially at junctions like Bellandur and service roads towards Marathahalli—it’s hell. Slows traffic even more.”
