Travel entrepreneur offers AI-based solution worth ₹1 crore to solve Bengaluru’s traffic woes

Prashant Pitti, co-founder of EaseMyTrip, a New Delhi-based online travel firm, has announced a contribution of ₹1 crore to develop an Artificial Intelligence-powered solution that can identify traffic pinch points across Bengaluru.

The initiative stems from Mr. Pitti’s personal experience of being trapped for 100 minutes at a single traffic jam-prone zone on the Outer Ring Road, transforming a 11-km journey into a grueling two-hour experience.

He told The Hindu: “The project’s success will depend on collaboration with the Bangalore Traffic Police (BTP) and the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), who must provide access to their traffic data feeds and establish dedicated teams to implement the AI-generated recommendations.’‘

He said that rather than adding to the endless stream of traffic complaints, he chose to create tangible solutions by utilising Google Maps’ recently introduced “Road Management Insight” feature, available in Big Query format since April 2025, to find a logical remedy to the city’s long-standing traffic challenges.

“This comprehensive system will integrate satellite imagery with machine learning algorithms to systematically identify traffic congestion points and analyse the peak timing patterns,’‘ he said.

The funding allocation would support hiring experienced machine learning and AI engineers and cover operational expenses, including Google Maps API usage, satellite imagery procurement, GPU resources, and field testing programmes. The entire solution would be designed as an open-source platform, allowing other Indian cities to implement similar traffic management systems, he added.

However, he said, the project’s success would depend on collaboration with the BTP and the BBMP.

Mr. Pitti also requested public support by encouraging citizens to connect with traffic authorities, inviting AI professionals to contribute their expertise, and rallying commuters to advocate for the initiative, emphasising that India’s technology capital deserved world-class infrastructure for its innovators and workforce.