An online ticketing platform and a private travel company must jointly pay Rs 10,000 in damages and costs after cancelling a passenger’s confirmed bus booking just 17 minutes before departure, a consumer commission has ruled. The Kangra District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission held that digital booking agents cannot evade liability for ground-level service failures by merely classifying themselves as intermediaries.
The ruling was delivered by a bench consisting of Commission President Hemanshu Mishra and members Arti Sood and Narayan Thakur. The order follows a complaint filed by Jayant Patial against RedBus Limited and Bharmani Travels regarding an incident in October 2023.
Details Of The Incident
Patial booked a late-night ticket from Palampur to Delhi on October 5, 2023, paying Rs 600 through the RedBus platform. The ticket was issued for a Bharmani Travels bus scheduled to depart at 10:15 p.m. and arrive in Delhi at 8:00 a.m. the next morning.
Upon arriving at the boarding location roughly 20 to 30 minutes before the scheduled departure, Patial contacted the operator to verify the bus arrival. He was informed that no such service was scheduled for 10:15 p.m. and that the operator’s final bus of the day had already left at 8:00 p.m.
When Patial reached out to customer support for help, he received an automated cancellation notification at 9:58 p.m., only 17 minutes before the scheduled departure time.
Emergency Travel Arrangements
Because of the extremely late cancellation, no other overnight bus services to Delhi were available. To reach his destination urgently, Patial had to travel approximately 40 kilometers to the nearest airport around midnight to purchase a last-minute flight ticket.
He subsequently filed a formal complaint with the consumer commission, seeking compensation for financial losses, mental harassment, and legal expenses.
The Platform’s Defense
RedBus contested the complaint, arguing that as an online intermediary, it only facilitates connections between passengers and operators and does not control operational schedules. The company stated that it had refunded Rs 585 to Patial’s bank account and credited Rs 60 to his RedBus wallet.
The platform also claimed it had offered an apology and twice the ticket fare to settle the matter, which the complainant declined. Bharmani Travels did not appear before the commission despite being served notice, and the case against them proceeded ex parte.
Commission’s Rulings And Penalties
The commission rejected the platform’s defense, ruling that online portals cannot escape responsibility under the Consumer Protection Act after accepting payment, charging service fees, and confirming reservations. The bench noted that RedBus failed to verify the validity of the listed service, while the operator failed to run the scheduled vehicle.
According to the commission, cancelling a confirmed booking so close to departure constituted gross negligence and an unfair trade practice. The bench ordered both parties to pay Rs 5,000 for mental agony and another Rs 5,000 for litigation expenses.
The joint payment must be completed within 30 days of receiving the certified order. If the parties fail to meet the deadline, a 9 percent annual interest rate will apply, calculated from the date the complaint was originally filed.
