The Aryavarth Express
Bengaluru: Frustrated by hours-long traffic snarls, EaseMyTrip co-founder Prashant Pitti has announced a ₹1 crore initiative to tackle Bengaluru’s traffic crisis using AI, Google Maps data, and satellite imagery.
In a detailed post on X (formerly Twitter), Pitti shared a recent experience where he was stuck in traffic for over 2 hours to cover just 11 km—mostly stranded at a choke point on Outer Ring Road (ORR) for more than 100 minutes. With no traffic lights or officers in sight, the situation pushed him to action.
“I’m committing ₹1 crore to identify Bengaluru’s choke points using Google Maps and AI,” he posted. “I don’t want another meme or rant. I want to fix it.”
The Tech-Driven Plan
Pitti’s initiative aims to:
Use Google’s “Road Management Insight” tool (launched in April 2025) and satellite imagery
Pinpoint choke points and their peak timings
Hire 1–2 senior AI/ML engineers
Budget for Google Maps API, GPU usage, satellite data, and field trials
Make the project open-source for use in other cities
He emphasized that the effort will only succeed if the Bengaluru Traffic Police (BTP) and BBMP cooperate by opening access to real-time traffic data and committing a dedicated team to implement the findings.
Call for Public Participation
Pitti also appealed to citizens and tech professionals:
“Tag anyone you know in the BTP or BBMP.”
“ML/AI folks: comment ‘IN’ if you can help part-time.”
“Every commuter—comment, share, amplify. The more the noise, the quicker the response.”
“Bangalore is India’s tech future. People making it happen deserve much better,” he wrote.
State Government’s Efforts
This comes as Karnataka’s Deputy CM DK Shivakumar recently announced the Hebbal-Silk Board underground tunnel project, claiming it will bypass 25 traffic bottlenecks and save over 45 minutes of travel time daily. The government is also pushing the Greater Bengaluru Governance Act to enhance city management.
