Pranav B Prem

In a significant ruling on the responsibility of online travel platforms, the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, Belagavi, has held redBus India Pvt. Ltd. and Pauls Travels jointly and severally liable for deficiency in service after a bus breakdown left a family stranded mid-journey. The Commission partly allowed the consumer complaint and directed refund of the ticket amount along with compensation and litigation costs.

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The order was delivered on December 31, 2025 in Complaint No. 260/2024 by a Bench comprising President Sri Sanjeev V. Kulkarni and Member Smt. S.S. Kadrollimath, in proceedings initiated under Section 35 of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019. While granting monetary relief for inconvenience and mental agony, the Commission declined to award the claimed business loss of ₹5 lakh due to lack of supporting evidence.

The complaint was filed by Ashok Kadam along with his family members, who had booked five AC Sleeper seats through the redBus online platform for travel from Belagavi to Mumbai on February 29, 2024. The journey was operated by Pauls Travels and was scheduled to depart from Belagavi at 10:15 PM and reach Mumbai early the next morning. The total fare of ₹4,380 was paid online and e-tickets were generated for the journey.

According to the complainants, the travel was time-sensitive as one of the family members intended to proceed onward to Delhi to participate in a food festival scheduled on March 3, 2024. It was claimed that the delay caused by the breakdown resulted in missing the event and the loss of a potential catering opportunity.

However, during the early hours of March 1, 2024, when the bus was about 40 kilometres away from Pune, it reportedly suffered an engine failure and came to a halt near a remote village bypass. The driver informed the passengers that repairs could take several hours and no alternative arrangement was provided. After waiting for hours, the complainants arranged their own transport and eventually reached Mumbai around 1 PM, several hours behind schedule.

The complainants contended that despite lodging a complaint with redBus, no effective assistance was provided and they were left to manage the situation on their own. Alleging negligence and deficiency in service, they sought refund of the ticket amount, compensation for mental agony, and damages for the alleged loss of business opportunity.

While Pauls Travels failed to appear and was proceeded ex parte, redBus contested the complaint by asserting that it was only an online ticketing aggregator and not responsible for the operation of buses. It relied on its user agreement to argue absence of privity of contract and claimed that its role was limited to facilitating bookings. redBus further contended that it had offered a goodwill amount of ₹500, which was declined by the complainants.

After examining the pleadings and evidence, the Commission held that the relationship between redBus and Pauls Travels constituted a tie-up arrangement for providing passenger transport services, thereby creating privity of contract. It observed that merely describing itself as an aggregator would not absolve redBus of responsibility when the service advertised and facilitated through its platform failed. The Commission found that neither opposite party made arrangements to assist stranded passengers, which amounted to deficiency in service.

At the same time, the Commission rejected the claim for ₹5 lakh towards loss of a catering tender, noting that the concerned complainant was not examined and no documentary evidence such as event brochures or tender materials were produced. The claim was therefore held to be exaggerated and unsubstantiated.

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Allowing the complaint in part, the Commission directed redBus and Pauls Travels to jointly and severally refund the ticket amount of ₹4,380 with interest at 8% per annum from March 1, 2024 till realization. They were also directed to pay ₹20,000 as compensation for mental agony and suffering and ₹5,000 towards litigation costs. The order was directed to be complied with within 60 days from the date of the decision.

Casue Title: Sri. Ashok & 4 Ors. V. redBus India Pvt Ltd

Case No: Complaint No. 260/2024

Coram: President Sri Sanjeev V. Kulkarni and Member Smt. S.S. Kadrollimath