Transportation strikes in Bengaluru have impacted several IT businesses
The transport strike has only had a limited impact on Bengaluru’s Silicon Hub’s IT firms since many of them continue to use a hybrid method of operation that gives workers the option to work from home (WFH) once or twice a week.
Since we continue to use a hybrid system of work, most workers choose WFH on these days. Therefore, there is no effect at work, despite the fact that office traffic is plainly low, claimed a spokeswoman for a major IT firm on the condition of anonymity. Major IT firms Infosys and Wipro did not respond to emails made to them.
“Companies have chosen a position in accordance with their needs. The majority of tech companies’ attendance has been low, according to Ramesh VT, general secretary of the Outer Ring Road Companies Association (ORRCA). “While some employees of some companies have chosen to work from home, some in critical roles have come to the office… but there has been inconvenience, especially on the first- and last-mile connectivity… overall, the attendance has been low in most tech companies,” he added.
The Outer Ring Road is a significant IT hub in Bengaluru, home to business parks like Cessna Business Park, Embassy Tech Village, Manyata Embassy Tech Park, RMZ Ecoworld, and Prestige Tech Park, as well as global capability centers (GCCs) like JP Morgan Chase, ANZ, Goldman Sachs, and others.
Such strikes, according to a representative of a major GCC, are damaging to Bengaluru’s reputation internationally. “These strikes are seen negatively by clients. Because of the heavy traffic, I typically use public transportation to work, but today I had to drive alone, which was difficult for some of my friends who don’t have cars.
The Shakti initiative, which provides free travel privileges to women on non-premium government buses, was denounced by the Federation of the Karnataka State Private Transport Association on September 11 in Bengaluru.
After the Congress government’s Shakti plan was introduced, the federation claimed that private transporters had lost more than 40% of their earnings.
On Monday, an estimated nine lakh privately owned commercial vehicles—including auto-rickshaws, buses, and corporate cars as well as airport taxis, maxi cabs, and corporate vehicles—stayed off the roads.
The government said that it has scheduled 500 additional BMTC (Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation) buses to ease commutes, particularly for those travelling to school, work, or hospitals.
