Bengaluru school buses faced severe traffic delays on Thursday, with students taking up to 2.5 hours to cover just 4km on the Varthur-Gunjur stretch of SH-35. Parents reported that school buses were delayed by up to 40 minutes in the morning and students were stranded on roads for hours during the evening commute. The stretch, which hosts 18-20 schools, is undergoing infrastructure work by the Karnataka Road Development Corporation, but residents say the road remains plagued by bottlenecks, damaged surfaces, and unmanaged traffic.

Parents and residents described the situation as a daily struggle, with some students taking nearly 2.5 hours to cover 4km. One parent, Swati Kumari, said she waited nearly 45 minutes for her son’s school bus before deciding to take him on a two-wheeler, despite concerns over road safety and recent accidents. Another resident, Pavitra Holla, noted that children were spending more time in traffic than in classrooms, with some taking up to 1.5 hours more to return home. Schools accommodated affected students by providing extra time to complete exams.

The traffic chaos was also reported on SH-35 near Gunjur, with school buses caught in gridlock. Ritish Reddy, CEO and Co-founder of Zluri, filmed the massive traffic pile-up and posted on social media, stating that students from Whitefield spent over two hours on a 5km commute. Parents shared reports of school bus commute times on September 17, with some taking up to 2 hours 30 minutes to cover 5-6km. Residents have long raised concerns about the condition of the Varthur Main Road, citing potholes, delayed repairs, and inadequate maintenance as contributing factors.

Nooraine Fazal, founder of Inventure Academy, said children and teachers spent as much as seven hours on the road traveling to school and back home on Thursday. She called for immediate measures and long-term investments to address Bengaluru's growing mobility challenges, including keeping heavy vehicles off key roads during school hours, enforcing penalties for traffic violations, and incentivizing shared transport. Fazal emphasized the need for collaboration among stakeholders to tackle the city's infrastructure and mobility issues.

The situation has once again highlighted the city's infrastructure and mobility challenges, particularly in rapidly developing areas where residential communities, schools, and commercial activity have expanded significantly. While the Karnataka Road Development Corporation is conducting infrastructure work on the stretch, residents and parents argue that the road remains in poor condition, with no clear plan to address the ongoing issues. No official response has been provided to the concerns raised by residents and parents.