Bengaluru: In an effort to shift daily commuting habits in the city’s major employment hubs, the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) rolled out Hejje-Gala, a three-month corporate active mobility challenge aimed at encouraging walking and cycling among employees. Around 35 companies already signed up for the initiative, which seeks to position active travel as a practical alternative for short commutes and as a first- and last-mile link to public transport.The initiative was flagged off by Maheshwar Rao, chief commissioner, GBA, Thursday, where a group of people walked from Vidhana Soudha to the GBA head quarters. Manivannan P, commissioner, Bangalore Development Authority, was also part of the walk and assured full support from the BDA in providing good footpaths and encouraging walking and cycling.
A key focus of the programme is securing the support of corporate leadership and encouraging active participation of employees across the five city corporations. Participating organisations will encourage employees to record walking and cycling trips undertaken during the challenge period, including those used to access buses and Metro services. Insights from real commuting patterns and user feedback are expected to guide planners in prioritising safer pedestrian crossings, better-quality footpaths and more comfortable cycling routes in high-demand corridors.Corporate participants see the initiative as a behavioural nudge rather than a mandate. Ashwin Sekar, chief product and technology officer at InCred Finance, said the challenge encourages healthier and more sustainable choices without forcing employees. “We all complain about traffic, but we are also part of traffic. Walking and cycling often remain invisible in policy discussions, even though many people rely on them. When this data is captured and aggregated, it becomes evidence that can influence how cities invest in footpaths and cycling infrastructure,” he said.Shekhar added with Bengaluru’s Metro network expected to expand significantly in the coming years, strengthening first- and last-mile connectivity could help take a substantial number of private vehicles off the road, reducing congestion, dust and pollution. Companies can register for the challenge on “hejjegala.in”. Organisations such as WRI India, Urban Morph and Walkaluru have collaborated with GBA in this regard.
