‘Can we pretend there’s a Pandemic?’: Bengaluru man’s post on traffic woes is viral

A Bengaluru entrepreneur’s witty take on the city’s notorious traffic jams has gone viral, resonating with officegoers and remote work advocates alike.

Dilip Kumar, a city-based entrepreneur, took to X (formerly Twitter) to share his frustration after being stuck in traffic for over two hours on a Monday morning. “Why can’t we pretend there is a pandemic and it’s called road traffic — and go back to working from home and doing online meetings?” he wrote. “It’s painful to get stuck for 2 hrs on a Monday morning and act enthusiastic. There is no medicine for the stress from Bangalore traffic.”

A user wrote, “With all kinds of affordable infrastructure space, digital resources, tech. know how, and funds at hands, even the so called internet companies are unable to move out their work centers out of city traffic... What are we missing here? Wonder if internet / digital services companies were to do anything close to what Tatas did to Jamshedpur or what Reliance is doing to Jam Nagar, what kind of urbanization India can unlock.”

Another user wrote, “It’s like cancer, there is no cure for that.”

“Getting a driver is probably the best fix. Or start a coworker carpool called ‘Switch’, you drive one day, they drive the next. Watch movies or finish work on the ride . Or just wait for Tesla to save us all,” a user suggested a solution.

Several users shared their own commuting horror stories, while others expressed longing for the flexibility of remote work that was the norm during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It's the sheer pleasure of seeing all the incompetent people together in a box called OFFICE. Bosses are sadist. They want you to do the same NOTHING in OFFICE rather than from HOME,” the fourth user expressed.

“Opted for a remote job for the same reason and moved out of Bangalore; while I was there, I had rented accomodation right infront of the office; because that was the only way I could survive,” the fifth user shared.

Bengaluru’s traffic congestion, often ranked among the worst in the world, remains a persistent challenge for daily commuters, especially during peak hours. The post has renewed conversations around hybrid work models and the toll daily travel takes on mental well-being