For Bengaluru school kids, bad roads are part of the timetable

Children say long, bumpy rides are leaving them tired and anxious

Bengaluru: For 10-year-old Samaira, summer vacations are a relief, as she no longer spends nearly three hours every day commuting to and from school. “Earlier, I enjoyed riding in the school bus with my friends, but now I don’t like it. The ride feels too long and sometimes dangerous. I once hit my head on the seat in front of me because of a pothole,” she told DH. Many children across the city share similar experiences and hope road conditions improve before schools reopen.

For thousands of schoolchildren across Bengaluru, the daily commute had become exhausting even before the vacations began. Potholed stretches, waterlogged roads and poor infrastructure are not just inconveniences but growing safety hazards.

Over the past year, several incidents have highlighted the risks. In one case, a school bus on the Panathur-Balagere stretch tilted dangerously after a wheel sank into a cratered road, leaving students shaken and injured. During the monsoon, water-filled potholes often mask deep craters, leading to sudden jolts and minor accidents.

Parents and school authorities say these conditions are taking a toll. Children report longer travel times, anxiety during commutes and reluctance to attend school on days of heavy rain.

Twelfth-grade student Lasya Mohan Varma has been travelling on Varthur-Sarjapur Road for years. “My school is about 8 km away, and we take this road every day. It is narrow and full of potholes, and there are no proper alternate routes. Travelling on such roads is hazardous, and students have been injured multiple times. It is especially dangerous for younger children,” she said. In 2024, she also started a campaign titled ‘Our mobility, Our Voice’ to push for better road infrastructure.

Students studying along the Varthur-Sarjapur stretch reported feeling exhausted due to long travel times caused by dusty, pothole-ridden roads.

Reality check reveals no work

When DH visited parts of East Bengaluru, including Varthur, Sarjapur, Gunjur, Panathur, Balagere and Hosa Road, cratered roads and dust-choked stretches remained the norm. Several congested junctions were riddled with potholes and loose asphalt, making them unsafe even for cab and auto drivers. While the Panathur-Balagere stretch has seen some improvements, interior roads remain neglected.

While the main roads of Panathur-Balagere Road have recently been fixed, the sub arterial roads are still in a bad condition.

“Based on internal tracking, many people spend between 2 and 3 hours daily commuting. Over time, this adds up to a substantial loss of productive and restorative time, which could otherwise be spent productively. Punctuality is another challenge. Traffic congestion and unpredictable road conditions often lead to delays, especially during critical times. This adds stress, particularly for senior students,” said Nooraine Fazal, Co-founder, CEO, and Managing Trustee of Inventure Academy.

During DH’s visit to parts of North Bengaluru, parents, students and teachers reported similar issues, especially in Hennur and Bengaluru. Waterlogging remains a major concern for residents in these areas.

Working on road improvements: GBA Pommala Sunil Kumar Commissioner of the North City Corporation under the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) said work had begun on waterlogging-prone areas ahead of the monsoon. “We have already worked on key junctions such as Kogilu Hebbal and Nagavara among others. This year there will be a great improvement in the waterlogging problem. Regarding potholes and fixing road conditions our plan has been approved but there has been a slight delay in the work because of the bitumen shortage due to the ongoing conflict in the Gulf” he told DH.

The East City Corporation will also take up road improvement works soon said Lokhande Snehal Sudhakar Additional Commissioner (Developments). “Now that the corporation’s budget has been approved and announced we will soon start road improvement projects. We have zeroed in on some stretches such as Varthur-Sarjapur and Balagere among others” he added.

Choose schools closer to home: Police chief City Police Commissioner Seemant Kumar Singh said choosing neighbourhood schools could help ease traffic. “Opting for a school that takes two to three hours of commute in a school bus is a choice. People need to be more cognisant of this and instead opt for a school much closer to home. Reducing the dependency on private unauthorised school vans will also help reduce the traffic load” he said.