Mumbai’s pothole problem is as old as the monsoon itself, and so are the promises of quick fixes from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). This year, the civic body has unveiled yet another mobile application, hoping to finally put an end to the city’s battered roads. But for many Mumbaikars, this move is déjà vu—just another chapter in a long story of failed digital solutions.

The latest app, ‘Pothole QuickFix’, comes with all the bells and whistles: photo uploads, location tagging, complaint tracking, and even a WhatsApp chatbot. BMC claims it will guarantee pothole repairs within 48 hours, with regular SMS updates to keep complainants in the loop. On paper, it sounds promising. But residents have heard these assurances before, and with good reason to be sceptical.

Older Apps

This is not BMC’s first attempt to tackle potholes through technology. In 2018, the civic body launched the ‘BMC Pothole Reporter’ app, which was supposed to make pothole reporting easier. Instead, it left citizens frustrated with its complicated complaint process and, more importantly, the lack of timely repairs. The app quickly fell out of favour as complaints piled up, unresolved and ignored.

Undeterred, BMC tried again in 2020 with ‘Mumbai Road Fix’. This time, technical glitches and a confusing interface led to low user engagement. The app’s promise of speedy repairs remained unfulfilled, and it quietly faded away, leaving potholes—and public anger—untouched.

Then came ‘Pothole Tracker’ in 2023, which was touted as a real-time solution for tracking complaints. But the app was plagued by delayed responses and poor complaint tracking, making it just as ineffective as its predecessors. Each time, the BMC promised transparency and accountability, but the ground reality remained unchanged: potholes continued to dot Mumbai’s roads, and citizens’ trust in the system eroded further.

With apps failing to deliver, the BMC turned to social media, monitoring platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram to track pothole complaints. From 2022 onwards, officials tried to keep up with the flood of posts and tags. But the sheer volume of complaints, coupled with the difficulty of tracking and responding to each one, soon overwhelmed the system. Frustration grew—not just among citizens, but within the BMC itself. Officials, fed up with the chaos and inefficiency of social media monitoring, decided it was time for a new approach.

That brings us to the present, with the launch of ‘Pothole QuickFix’. The BMC insists this time will be different, pointing to a streamlined complaint process and stricter timelines for repairs. Yet, given the track record of past apps and the persistent state of Mumbai’s roads, many remain unconvinced. For now, the city waits and watches, hoping that this latest digital solution will finally deliver where so many others have failed.