Every trip begins with a small act of trust. We book a seat, verify the details, pay the money, and expect the service to match what was promised. Most of the time it does, and we hardly think about it afterwards.One such journey of a traveller turned out to be unbearable, as a traveller was made to journey in a prebooked bus, but it was far different from what he booked.While not many of us would think of a consumer commission as the place to settle a bus fare dispute. But a recent case from Andhra Pradesh shows it can be exactly the right place.Let’s look at what happened.
Passenger paid for an AC bus, got a non-AC ride and a midnight drop-off at the wrong location
According to an Indian Express report, the Visakhapatnam consumer commission ordered a bus operator to pay ₹31,500 after a passenger booked an AC Hyderabad–Rajahmundry service but got a non-AC bus and was dropped 9–10 km before his destination at about 12:30 am. The operator has not been named in these reports.The passenger paid Rs 1,200 through UPI and says he was assured an AC bus at the time of booking. He was then made to travel in a non-AC bus. He also alleged that he was never given a physical ticket.The journey didn’t end where it should have. Instead of Rajahmundry, he was left at Kovvuru, which is 9-10 km away from the destination, with no proper arrangement to finish the trip, according to his complaint. He says he later asked the company for a settlement of just Rs 500, but was refused and treated rudely.
What did the commission find
The case went to the Visakhapatnam District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission. The Indian Express reports that the order was passed on September 15 by President Gudla Tanuja and members Varri Krishna Murthy and Rahimunnisa Begum. The travel company had been served notice but did not appear, so the order was ex parte, meaning it was passed without the company putting forward its side.The commission investigated the passenger’s transaction records and found that Rs 1,200 had actually been paid and debited from his account. With that established, it held the company guilty of deficiency in service. The commission said the company “cannot shy away from their liability” for making him travel non-AC after taking the AC fare. It also ruled that leaving him 9-10 km short of his destination was a deficiency in service.Passenger gets a refund of whopping Rs. 31,500 as compensationThe travel company was directed to pay Rs 500 for the difference between the AC and non-AC fare, Rs 30,000 as compensation for inconvenience and hardship, and Rs 1,000 for litigation costs. That comes to Rs 31,500 in total, far more than the fare itself.This shows that giving a lower-category service after taking a higher-category fare can become a consumer dispute, and so can dropping someone far from the booked destination. So, a problem of compensation, as small as Rs. 500, can also turn out big!