Ernakulam Consumer Commission Orders Sri Vinayaka Travels to Pay ₹47,174 for Breakdown-Delayed Exam Journey

December 30, 2025 : Ernakulam Consumer Commission Orders Sri Vinayaka Travels to Compensate Couple Forced to Hire Taxi After Bus Breakdowns

District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, Ernakulam has directed a private transport operator to pay compensation to a couple who were compelled to hire a taxi to reach an examination centre after their bus was delayed due to repeated breakdowns and stoppage at a check post over alleged tax arrears.

In Anil Baby and Anr. v. Sri Vinayaka Travels (CC No. 385 of 2023), the Commission held that a passenger transport operator has a clear obligation to provide a roadworthy vehicle and render services with reasonable care and diligence. The Bench observed that failure to maintain operational readiness, leading to inordinate delay and additional financial burden on passengers, squarely amounts to deficiency in service under Section 2(11) of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019.

The complainants, a married couple from Ernakulam, had booked two bus tickets from Kochi to Bengaluru on the night of 20 May 2023. The second complainant had applied for the post of Scientist in NIELIT under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and was required to appear for a written examination at 8:45 a.m. on 21 May 2023 at Don Bosco Institute of Technology, Kumbalgodu, Bengaluru. The bus was scheduled to arrive at Majestic, Bengaluru at 6:00 a.m., and the couple paid ₹3,174 as fare.

However, the journey did not proceed as planned. The bus reportedly suffered a tyre burst near Palakkad and was delayed further due to the absence of tools required for replacement. It was subsequently stopped at the Walayar check post due to alleged non-payment of vehicle tax arrears. Additional breakdowns occurred before the vehicle reached Coimbatore. Tracking records placed before the Commission indicated that the bus reached its destination approximately five hours behind schedule.

With the examination time approaching and uncertainty over further delay, the complainants arranged alternate transport and hired a taxi from Coimbatore to Bengaluru, incurring an additional expense of ₹14,000 to ensure timely arrival at the examination centre.

The transport operator did not appear before the Commission despite service of notice and was set ex parte. The Bench comprising D.B. Binu (President), V. Ramachandran, and Sreevidhia T.N. examined the documentary evidence produced by the complainants, including the hall ticket, bus ticket details, taxi payment receipt, tracking records, and email correspondence with the operator.

The Commission found that the repeated breakdowns, lack of basic preparedness such as tools for tyre replacement, and stoppage at the check post reflected a failure to render the service with reasonable care and diligence. It held that the complainants had suffered financial loss, inconvenience, hardship, and mental agony as a direct consequence of the deficient service.

Partly allowing the complaint, the Commission directed Sri Vinayaka Travels to refund the ticket fare of ₹3,174 and reimburse the taxi charges of ₹14,000. It further awarded ₹25,000 as compensation for mental agony, hardship, inconvenience, and financial loss, along with ₹5,000 towards litigation costs.

The operator has been directed to comply with the order within 45 days from receipt of the judgment, failing which the amounts awarded towards refund, reimbursement, and compensation will carry interest at 9 percent per annum from 15 June 2023, the date of filing of the complaint, until realisation.