‘2 km took 2 hours’: Bengaluru parent raises concern over daughter’s school bus stuck in Varthur traffic

A Bengaluru parent has shared a frustrating account of his daughter’s school bus journey, saying it took two hours to cover just 2 km on the Varthur-Gunjur road. The X user said he felt “completely helpless” as he waited for his child to return home. His post has since prompted discussions about traffic, road conditions and safety in the area.Bengaluru parent raises concerns over Varthur roads. (Representational image generated using AI)Bengaluru parent shares school bus ordealThe post was shared X user Hari, who said his daughter’s school bus took two hours to travel just 2 km. He described the experience from a parent’s perspective, saying, “For those 2 hours, I sat there as a parent feeling completely helpless.”Hari said he and his wife pay “lakhs in taxes every month” and had taken a large home loan partly to live close to their daughter’s school and give her a safer and easier childhood.“And yet, this is what ‘2 km from school’ means here,” he wrote.He also referred to several incidents he said residents had witnessed in the area over the past year, including a school bus toppling over, a woman suffering serious injuries after a fall and a biker nearly losing his life after falling because of a pothole.(Also Read: HYROX athlete Joanna Wietrzyk apologises after race incident: ‘I should have stepped off the track’)According to Hari, residents have repeatedly tried to raise these concerns tweeting, emailing, complaining and following up with authorities.“We are not activs. We are not fighting for a political party,” he wrote. “We are parents, employees, families and taxpayers asking for one basic thing: Please give our children a safe road to come home on.”Take a look:Internet reacts to Varthur road concernsThe post prompted several reactions from users, with some saying the problems in the area have continued for years.One user claimed that the situation had been ongoing for nearly a decade and could worsen as more high-rise buildings and schools come up in the area. Another questioned why taxpayers receive little accountability despite paying taxes regularly.“2km walking is faster and better option,” one commenter wrote, suggesting that walking could sometimes be quicker than travelling through the traffic.Another user said companies should also question the authorities about infrastructure while asking employees to return to offices.(Also Read: ‘I don’t enjoy going to work anymore’: Employee asks if leaving micromanaging manager is worth a 15-20% pay cut)Hari ended his post saying that the traffic was not what affected him most. “What broke me was the feeling that despite doing everything a responsible citizen is supposed to do, I had absolutely no power to protect my own child,” he wrote.He then asked if anyone could help residents of Varthur and Gunjur reach someone with the authority to intervene.(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.)