Man to receive Rs 2L compensation for being dropped 50km away by travel company

The consumer commission has directed a travel portal and a bus service to pay compensation of Rs 2 lakh to a 69-year-old man who was dropped 50 km outside Mumbai on his way back from Surat in 2018. The Mumbai Suburban District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission stated that it was the duty of the travel portal and the bus service to inform the complainant in advance about any change in the route and provide an alternative arrangement, considering his advanced age.
The complainant, Shekhar Hattangadi, a resident of Kandivali, had purchased a bus ticket through the travel portal Travekyaari.com. He was dropped off at an unfamiliar location outside the city, requiring him to make travel arrangements on his own at odd hours. This incident caused mental agony and trouble to the senior citizen, justifying his entitlement to compensation, as per the commission’s observation.
When Hattangadi complained, he was informed that repairs on the Ahmedabad-Mumbai Highway had prompted the driver to divert the bus from the main highway to Thane and beyond.
The commission held that it was the duty of the travel portal and the bus service to provide prior intimation to the complainant about the change in route and to offer an alternate arrangement to prevent inconvenience.
The compensation of Rs 2 lakh is to be paid by Mantis Technologies Pvt Ltd, Paulo Travels Pvt Ltd, and Myron Pereira, the acting CEO of Paulo Travels. Additionally, the commission has directed them to pay Rs 2,000 towards transportation and court filing costs.
Hattangadi moved the commission on November 12, 2021, stating that he was not provided with the correct pick-up point in Surat, leading to him being compelled to deboard the bus midway, almost 50 km outside Mumbai. The commission emphasized that the opponents did not deny this fact and accepted their fault, acknowledging the mental and physical suffering caused to the complainant.