I don’t know in which part of the city the author of this piece lives, but it must be some Pollyanna area of which I am unaware.

I live in Ingleside, where, over the years, I’ve seen Ocean Avenue and the other streets turn into a speedway that requires me to wait to cross the street because, inevitably, someone is going to speed through a red light only to be stopped by the red light on the next block in a vain attempt to gain a few seconds’ time.

I would prefer that I not need to wait to step off the curb simply because speeding and running red lights haven’t yet registered enough deaths for my neighborhood to become a “high-risk” area. 

This guy needs a reality check.

If you are an active social media user, you must have come across several posts debating the merits and the demerits of Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru. The three metropolitan cities each have a loyal fan base, and tweets discussing their livability often go viral. Recently, an Indian-origin entrepreneur took to X to draw parallels between Bengaluru and San Francisco. In a detailed thread, Hardeep Gambhir, founder of The Residency, shared several aspects of Bengaluru that matched with San Francisco. 

Mr Gambhir noted that he returned to India after seven years of living in the San Francisco Bay Area.  Upon landing at Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport, he noticed the efficient ‘Uber Zone’ system that eliminated waiting time. 

”Instead of booking an Uber and finding it, you simply book an Uber and go to the first car in the queue of cars, tell your PIN to the driver and off you go to your destination. No waiting time,” he wrote.

Since I moved out of India 7 years ago, I thought I’d never live here again.

After spending a lot of time in the Bay, in May, I moved to Bangalore where I had never been to start @_TheResidency.

And it has been an immaculate SF-like experience in this city.

Here’s why🧵:

— Hardeep (@hardeep_gambhir) June 21, 2024

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He was also surprised when an auto-rickshaw driver replied in English. ”I was expecting to speak a bit of Hindi here this summer and surprisingly when I first spoke Hindi to an Auto-rickshaw driver, I got replies from him in English. Turns out Bangalore is the city with English as the most spoken language in India. I was so surprised by this,” he added.

The entrepreneur highlighted Bengaluru’s vibrant startup ecosystem by comparing HSR Layout to San Francisco’s Hayes Valley. He also praised Bengaluru’s quick commerce services like Swiggy Instamart, which he likened to “Walmart delivery in 4 to 7 minutes, available 24×7.” 

The entrepreneur then mentioned low carrier charges in India and the availability of mobility services like Yulu electric bikes, which he likened to San Francisco’s Lime, Veo and Baywheels bikes.

Mr Gambhir also talked about the city’s affordability by highlighting the significantly lower cost of living in Bengaluru compared to San Francisco. He further praised the city’s amazing weather, but mentioned the two things he didn’t like– ”mosquitoes and ridiculous security deposits for renting.”

I highly recommend for someone curious about another country’s startup ecosystem like SF to come visit here. Also, the e-visa should take 3-5 days to get fully remote. Oh, not to mention. Uber is shit cheap,” he concluded.