Heavy rain snarls traffic, ride-hailing fares surge in Bengaluru

Heavy rain lashed Bengaluru on Thursday evening, leaving several stretches waterlogged and bringing traffic to a crawl.

Traffic congestion, particularly in the Central Business District (CBD), left many commuters stranded. Motorists on Hosur Road experienced bumper-to-bumper traffic, with several locations, particularly near Electronics City, reporting severe waterlogging.

Slow-moving traffic due to waterlogging was also reported on M.G. Road, Commissionerate Road, Acharya Layout Road, Anand Rao Circle, R.P. Road towards P.G. Halli, Mehkri Circle, and Jayamahal, among other locations.

According to Greater Bengaluru Authority sources, no tree falls were reported, but more than 10 cases of tree branches snapping were flagged across the five city corporations.

Meanwhile, several officegoers took to social media to share screenshots of exorbitant surge prices charged by ride-hailing applications. Even short trips of around 5 km cost more than ₹300. Power outages were also reported in the southern and northeastern parts of the city.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD), Bengaluru, said the city is likely to witness generally cloudy skies, with one or two spells of rain or thundershowers, over the next three days.