How much fuel are Bengaluru techies burning for 1.5km drive? 'Unbearable' ORR stretch sparks debate on X

Imagine burning nearly three litres of petrol just to drive 1.5 kilometres. That’s the disturbing reality playing out daily for tech workers and residents in Bengaluru who have to navigate the choked corridor near Ecospace on Sarjapur Road–Outer Ring Road (ORR).

Commuters took to social media to vent their frustration, sharing fuel consumption figures and dashboard images that underscored the scale of the traffic woes.

According to a report in The Times of India, drivers reported shockingly low mileage — down to 3-6 km per litre — on stretches where vehicles crawled at a snail's pace.

In one case, a commuter said his car consumed 3.2 litres of petrol to cover just 3.3 km in 45 minutes. Another shared that it took 3 litres of fuel to crawl 1.5 km over 22 minutes—effectively burning Rs 300 worth of petrol to cover the distance of a short evening walk.

🚨 Sarjapur Road traffic is getting out of hand! Everyday feels like a test of patience — jam-packed, inch-by-inch movement. When will we see a real solution to this chaos? 🤯🚗🛑 #BangaloreTraffic#SarjapurRoad@Jointcptraffic@siddaramaiah@kdevforumpic.twitter.com/kD1QArCINB

— AKSHAY (@akshaypg1990) July 15, 2025

"This is outrageous. Sarjapur Road traffic is getting out of hand! Every day feels like a test of patience — jam-packed, inch-by-inch movement. When will we see a real solution to this chaos?" a user posted on X.

Another said: "Every day the struggle of an IT coolie,commuting is not in minutes it's in hours #Bengaluru. Please do something".

Another commuter shared a similar ordeal: “My car, a Honda Civic, shows I burned nearly 3 litres of fuel just to move 2.1km. It took me close to 50 minutes. That’s almost Rs 300 worth of petrol gone, and I didn’t even leave my neighbourhood!”

A woman who works at a fintech company near Ecospace told TOI: “This is becoming unbearable. On Monday, my fuel consumption was 2.8 litres for just under 2km. I was idling more than moving. The stress of sitting through this every day is worse than workload".

What's causing the burn?

According to the report, a mix of infrastructure bottlenecks, haphazard diversions and an overwhelming number of private vehicles are to blame for the daily gridlock.

Complete apathy, they should buy back land near road to decongest where road has narrowed, to ensure smooth flow. — 💧 Tarun Agrawal #SaveSoil (@TarunAgrawal) July 15, 2025

Recent traffic diversions at Kadubeesanahalli junction, poor service road conditions and the transfer of joint commissioner (traffic) MN Anucheth have only made things worse.

A frequent commuter and techie told TOI that urgent infrastructure upgrades are a must. “We need more infrastructure — extra flyovers, access ramps and underground routes. At the same time, BMTC should improve frequency and companies must bring back bus services.”

Meanwhile, Vishnu Prasad of the Save Bellandur Forum blamed poor urban planning. “The problem is straightforward — people can’t even step out of their homes. In Haralur, Kasavanahalli, and Doddakannelli, roads are narrow. Apartments are sprouting up everywhere, but there’s no investment in public transport. We’ve asked for mini-buses many times, but nothing has happened. The Metro may arrive by 2031, but what till then?” he told TOI.