Bengaluru founder spends 1.5 hours covering 3-km stretch, asks: ‘How are businesses supposed to operate like this?’

A Bengaluru founder said a 3-km trip in Varthur took 90 minutes, raising concerns about traffic and productivity.

A Bengaluru-based founder has voiced his frustration over the city’s traffic and poor road conditions after what was supposed to be a quick errand turned into a 90-minute ordeal. He said the experience made him question how businesses, employees and delivery workers cope with such conditions every day.

A Bengaluru founder shared how a 10-minute errand turned into a 1.5-hour journey because of traffic and poor roads. (Instagram/souveek.builds)

Taking to Instagram, Souveek Ray shared a video documenting his journey through Varthur, describing how it took him an hour and a half to cover a three-kilometre stretch.

‘A 10-20 minute job’ turns into 90-minute ordeal

"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.

Showing the traffic situation on his screen, he added, "Look at the screen. This is after we covered 1 kilometre in 45 minutes."

The situation eventually became so difficult that the pair decided not to drive back. "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.

Ray then questioned the wider impact such daily commuting conditions can have on businesses and people who depend on the city’s roads for work.

"How are businesses supposed to operate like this? How can delivery partners, retailers, employees, customers deal with this every single day, man?" he asked.

‘I love Bangalore’

Anticipating criticism over his remarks, Ray clarified that his frustration did not come from a dislike for the city. He said he had been living in Bengaluru for a decade and had chosen to build his business there.

"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.

Watch the clip here:

Social media users react

The video drew reactions from users who related to Ray’s frustration. One person wrote, "Spending 90 minutes for 3 km is shocking." Another commented, "Completely frustrating." A third user pointed to the wider consequences, writing, "This is not just a traffic issue, it affects productivity too." Echoing a similar sentiment, another said, "Losing hours in traffic has become way too normal."

HT.com has reached out to the user for his comments, and the copy will be updated once his response is received.

(Disclaimer: This report is based on user-generated content from social media. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.)