Bengaluru traffic jam conditions worsened across several parts of the city on Thursday night as residents left for their hometowns and tourist destinations ahead of the Gandhi Jayanti holiday and the weekend break, with vehicles reportedly remaining stuck for hours and major transport hubs witnessing heavy crowds.
The congestion followed the October 2 public holiday for Gandhi Jayanti, which fell on Friday, alongside Saturday and Sunday holidays for employees of many information technology and biotechnology companies. The combination prompted several families to begin their journeys on Thursday night, increasing pressure on roads, intercity bus services and railway stations.
According to a report by Prajavani, severe congestion was recorded around Majestic, one of Bengaluru’s most important public transport districts. Heavy crowds were also reported at the railway station, Shanthinagar bus stand, Mysuru Satellite Bus Station and Yeshwanthpur railway station as passengers attempted to leave the city for the extended break.
The Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation arranged 850 special buses to manage the additional travel demand. The services were scheduled to operate from Bengaluru to different destinations on October 1 and 2, and from various locations back to Bengaluru on October 4. Buses were operated from Kempegowda Bus Station, the Mysuru Road bus station and the BMTC bus stand at Shanthinagar.
The additional bus services addressed part of the demand, but private vehicles added to the pressure on the city’s road network. Long queues of cars and other private vehicles were reported along KG Road, Mysuru Road, Tumakuru Road, Hosur Road and Ballari Road. These corridors connect central Bengaluru and major transport nodes with intercity routes, making them particularly vulnerable to simultaneous departures before a holiday.
The episode also placed the city’s transport interchanges under strain. The clustering of passengers at bus stands and railway stations, combined with outbound road traffic, showed how holiday travel quickly links congestion at terminals with bottlenecks on approach roads. For passengers, the disruption involved both longer road journeys and crowded conditions at departure points.
The special bus schedule is set to continue for the return movement on October 4, when travellers from different destinations are expected to come back to Bengaluru. The arrangements announced by the KSRTC cover the main outbound and return travel dates associated with the extended holiday period.
