Bengaluru's commute time up by 62% during rain: Report

BENGALURU: While Bengaluru is known for its infamous traffic, the recent rains have only made it worse. According to a report by MoveInSync, a transport startup working on employee commutes, the city’s commute times have increased by as much as 62% due to rains.  Bengaluru has been witnessing heavy showers with issues of flooding and traffic jams common across the city.

According to the report, commuting times for Bengalureans have increased by an average of 30% on rainy days as compared to non-rainy days, with the lowest increase at 11%, recorded in the last week alone. With a gradual increase in commuter times from around 42 minutes recorded back in February to an average of 60 minutes with more workers returning to the office, August has seen commuter times jump to 72 minutes — thanks to the rains.

“While these numbers are ominous signs for the city of Bengaluru, it also points to the fact that the city is now going back to pre-Covid state.  It also shows the work that needs to go in to develop the city’s infrastructure...,” said Deepesh Agarwal, the startup’s CEO. Bellandur in particular has faced the brunt of rains with the largest spike of 62% and a 86 minute commute time, with Whitefield coming up second with a spike of 48%.

Meanwhile, areas like Indiranagar, Electronics City, MG Road and Bagmane were not as affected, with spikes averaging between 17% and 11%. The report also studied the best days to travel to work, with Monday being least affected by rains while Tuesdays and Wednesdays having 20 minutes added to average travel times. However, it must be noted that no data was recorded for Thursdays and Fridays due to a lack of rain.