Transport Guide for Expats
Most foreigners arriving in India, especially Bangalore, are intimidated by driving as traffic can be intense and general road conditions are often mediocre. Directions of one-way streets change seemingly overnight, lanes are not marked or respected, and several obstacles present themselves regularly, such as roaming cows, stray dogs, “jaywalking” pedestrians and 2-, 3- and 4-wheel vehicles going the wrong way on a one-way street.
The good news is that there are several affordable ways to get around the city without having to drive yourself. You may wish to keep your eyes firmly shut until you surrender to the rhythm of Bangalore traffic.
Since Bangalore has seen significant growth in the past decade, the infrastructure is still slowly catching up. The Namma Metro (Our Metro) was inaugurated in October 2011 and consists of two lines that meet in the city centre. From there, there is an east-west line and north-south line that covers about 42 kilometers.
In the meantime, modern buses, auto-rickshaws (3-wheel motorized vehicles) and public taxis offer easy and inexpensive travel around the city. Also, an option is cars with a chauffeur for hire by the hour/day, though a less expensive, longer-term consideration is to purchase your own car and hire a part- or full-time driver to drive it.
By air, Bangalore is well connected to the rest of the country, and several international flights reach Bangalore directly. A few low-cost airlines now exist in India for domestic travel, which has become very reliable, and all national carriers operate out of Bangalore.
Rail also remains a popular mode of travel between Bangalore and surrounding areas, with dependable connections to all major cities.
For air, rail and bus travel, you can refer to http://www.makemytrip.com/ for up-to-date information and reservations.
