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Bengaluru Traffic Woes: After being trapped in bumper-to-bumper traffic for over two hours to cover just 11 kilometres in Bengaluru, EaseMyTrip co-founder Prashant Pitti has decided to take matters into his own hands. In a bold move, he has pledged Rs 1 crore to tackle the city's chronic traffic problems using artificial intelligence, satellite imagery, and real-time data.
Sharing his ordeal on X, Pitti wrote about being stuck for 100 minutes at a single intersection on Saturday night, where no traffic signal or police were present. “I don’t want one more Bengaluru traffic meme or rant. I want to fix it,” he said.
I am committing INR 1 Cr to find Bangalore Choke-Points via Google Maps & AL.
11 km → 2.15 hours in Bangalore Traffic on Saturday late night!
I was stuck at one choke-point at ORR, where I spent 100 mins struggling to understand why there is no traffic-light or cop here!
But… pic.twitter.com/b8Nf5vnUKf
— Prashant Pitti (@ppitti) July 14, 2025
‘Use data, not memes’: Pitti pushes for AI-backed traffic solution
Pitti highlighted Google Maps' newly launched “Road Management Insight” tool that shares city-level traffic data in BigQuery format. He proposed using this data alongside satellite imagery to identify and address key choke points across Bengaluru.
“I am willing to spend INR 1 Crore on this project by funding 1-2 senior ML/AI engineers. And providing budget for using Google Maps API calls, satellite imagery & GPUs,” he wrote. The pledge also hinges on Bengaluru Traffic Police (BTP) or BBMP opening their raw data feeds or API access and forming a dedicated team to act on the insights generated.
Urging the public to support the initiative, Pitti asked users to tag relevant authorities, volunteer ML/AI professionals, and amplify the cause. “Bangalore is India’s tech future. And the people making it happen deserve much better,” he added.
Netizens weigh in: Ideas, support pour in online
The post sparked a wave of online reactions. One user pointed out the structural issue with Bengaluru’s roads, stating: “There are too many four-road intersections even in smaller areas, making smooth traffic flow nearly impossible. Roads should run for a few kilometres without intersections.”
Another netizen suggested deploying drones to monitor traffic violations and improper parking. “Roadside parking markings should be made across the city. Target should be to copy a city that is a gold standard,” the post read.
A user with technical insight added, “Algorithmic game theory and network effects always suggest that when you open another diagonal to reduce choke points, new diagonals choke. Need mix and match and randomisations.”
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