Bengaluru-based founder criticises Whitefield traffic situation after daughter's school bus stuck for over 2 hours in Varthur-Gunjur, says it is a daily occurrence

A Bengaluru entrepreneur has raised concerns over the city’s traffic congestion after claiming that his daughter was stuck for two hours on Varthur Road on September 17. Ritish Reddy, co-founder and CEO of Zluri, shared a video on X showing traffic stretching for several kilometres in the Varthur-Gunjur area, as concerns over the impact of congestion on schoolchildren grew.

Reddy was among several parents and residents who called for improved traffic management following the prolonged traffic jam. Several concerned parents have reportedly launched petitions after schoolchildren were left stuck for two hours or more while travelling along Varthur-Gunjur Road. According to reports, Bengaluru Traffic Police sources attributed the congestion to ongoing infrastructure work in the area.

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Bengaluru CEO raises concerns over 5-km commute

As the traffic situation worsened, Reddy took to X to highlight the experience of children commuting through the area. He claimed that schoolchildren from Whitefield regularly spend more than two hours in traffic while covering a distance of around 5 km.

“2+ hours. Every single day. That's how long kids from Whitefield spend on Varthur Road for a 5km commute,” Reddy wrote.


He added that his own daughter was caught in the traffic jam while he was posting about the situation.

“My own daughter is stuck right now as I post this. Whitefield deserves better than this,” he said.

Reddy’s post drew responses from other parents who described similar experiences on the stretch.

X user Hari said his daughter’s school bus took two hours to cover a distance of just 2 km. Describing the situation from a parent’s perspective, he wrote, “For those 2 hours, I sat there as a parent feeling completely helpless.”

Hari also said that he and his wife pay “lakhs in taxes every month” and had taken a large home loan partly to live closer to their daughter’s school and provide her with what he described as a safer and easier childhood.

“And yet, this is what ‘2 km from school’ means here,” he wrote.

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Social media reacts to the post

The traffic situation also prompted wider criticism from social media users, with several residents raising concerns about infrastructure and road conditions in the Varthur-Gunjur area.

“Varthur–Gunjur has a large IT-working population and contributes significantly through income tax and other taxes, yet basic infrastructure remains so poor,” one X user wrote in response to Reddy’s post.

Another user argued that Bengaluru needs stronger action against encroachments, claiming that unauthorised extensions of houses have narrowed roads in several areas.

“Bangalore needs anti encroachment drive more than infrastructure. Every road turns narrow because unauthorised extension of houses beyond the land they own,” the user wrote.

Another X user described Bengaluru’s traffic and roads as a “great leveller or equaliser”, saying that the problem affects people across different economic and professional backgrounds.

Other users pointed to the condition of the road, traffic mismanagement, potholes and the movement of heavy vehicles during peak hours as factors affecting commuters.

“This road has become horrible these days. Everyone commuting in this stretch are suffering because of the bad condition of the roads, mismanagement of traffic, uncountable potholes and movement of heavy vehicles during peak hours,” one person commented.

Another described the situation as “extremely poor”, adding that there was no urgency in addressing basic road issues affecting large numbers of people.

A further comment said that “the whole of Bangalore deserves better”, while criticising the authorities over what the user described as their inability to address the city’s deteriorating traffic and road conditions.