Now Reading: Bus delay misses flight, consumer commission orders Rs 73,000 payout
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Bus delay misses flight, consumer commission orders Rs 73,000 payout
A Delhi consumer commission has ordered Greenline Travels to pay Rs 73,000 in compensation to a passenger who missed his flight because the bus from Adoni to Bengaluru was delayed by six hours. The passenger had an M.Phil. admission deadline the next day at a Delhi institute.
The passenger booked a 6 pm bus on October 24, 2019, to reach Bengaluru for his 10:50 am IndiGo flight to Delhi on October 26. The bus arrived at 8 am on October 26, too late to catch the flight. He had to buy a new ticket for Rs 14,015 and still missed the course reporting date of October 27.
The commission ruled that the bus operator was deficient in service and awarded Rs 60,000 as compensation for mental agony and lost academic opportunity, plus the flight cost. Greenline Travels had argued it was not liable because the booking was through a third-party platform, but the commission rejected that defence.
Indian Opinion Analysis
The Delhi consumer commission's order follows a 2019 complaint, when the passenger's bus was delayed by six hours. Greenline Travels argued it was not liable since the passenger had booked through a third-party platform, but the commission held the operator responsible under the Consumer Protection Act for deficient service. For bus operators, this is a rare but instructive case: unlike airlines, they are not legally bound to guarantee arrival times. The Rs 73,000 covers the flight ticket and the missed academic opportunity. The key question for operators now is whether they will start including delay disclaimers in their terms, and how consumer forums will treat those if challenged. The order becomes final unless the bus company appeals to a higher forum within the prescribed period.
Source: businesstoday.in
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above. Methodology and corrections.
