The discussion about traffic woes in Pune is never-ending. While some slam errant bikers, others blame roads flooded with cars and people's refusal to use public transport. Many also blame techies in Pune for refusing to use public transport and adding to the city’s traffic with their private vehicles.
Now, the Forum For IT Employees (FITE) Maharashtra has taken to X (formerly Twitter) and listed the reasons why techies avoid public transport. They wrote, “we’ll happily use public transport if the system is ready for real-life needs,” in reply to the common complaint: “IT people drive alone and cause traffic.”
FITE wrote, "Why don’t all IT employees use public transport?” Sounds like a simple question — but the answer is anything but simple. Here’s the reality: No covered bus stops in key areas – waiting in harsh sun or heavy rain is not practical. After getting off the bus, there are no proper footpaths – you walk through mud, garbage, or broken roads. No safe pedestrian crossings – crossing a road is a daily life risk. Most residential complexes are far inside from main roads – walking long, unsafe distances just to reach the bus stop isn’t feasible. Many employees have to drop kids to school or pick up/drop spouses at other office locations – multi-stop travel just doesn’t work with public transport. Irregular shifts and late-night work also make buses an unsafe or unreliable option. So next time someone says “IT people drive alone and cause traffic” — tell them: we’ll happily use public transport if the system is ready for real-life needs."
The post has sparked renewed discussion online, with several professionals agreeing that unless the city’s public transport becomes practical, safe, and accessible, private vehicles remain their only viable option.
Hinjawadi woes
The infrastructure woes of the Hinjawadi area have once again hit the headlines this year, with visuals of waterlogging in June going viral, showing a PMPML bus submerged halfway in water.
For the uninitiated, in the Rajiv Gandhi IT Park, Hinjawadi, incidents of waterlogging during the monsoon have been occurring repeatedly. Along with this, citizens and IT companies are facing several challenges related to traffic, roads, electricity, and other basic infrastructure.
