Stories
Bengaluru Traffic Costs Rs 12 Lakh Earners Nearly Rs 1 Lakh in Lost Time
- •A data-led visualisation by Prosperr co-founder Manas Goud shows Bengaluru commuters lose 168 hours a year in rush-hour traffic.
- •For an illustrative annual salary of Rs 12 lakh, the lost time is valued at nearly Rs 99,000 annually, equating to an 8 percent pay cut.
- •Traffic congestion poses serious health risks, potentially adding 25 minutes to ambulance rides and delaying critical medical care during emergencies.
- •The analysis highlights major economic burdens, including an estimated Rs 19,725 crore in annual losses linked to Bengaluru traffic.
- •Proposed solutions include completing the Outer Ring Road Metro, running the Pink Line, restoring bus lanes, and improving road maintenance.
Key Questions Answered
Based on a data-led visualisation by Prosperr co-founder Manas Goud utilizing the TomTom Traffic Index 2025, a commuter earning an illustrative annual salary of Rs 12 lakh loses nearly Rs 99,000 a year in rush-hour time.
The visualisation and proposals urge completing the Outer Ring Road Metro, running the Pink Line end-to-end, expanding suburban rail, restoring dedicated bus lanes, clearing routes for ambulances, and improving road maintenance and pedestrian safety.
Traffic congestion can add 25 minutes to an ambulance journey, and roughly seven in 10 hospitals remain more than a 30-minute drive away under peak scenarios. This delay severely impacts critical health events like strokes and heart attacks, where treatment delays sharply increase mortality risks.
