Orange Tours Confirmed Ticket Cancellation Leads to Rs 10,000 Compensation for Man in Hyderabad
The Hyderabad Consumer Court has issued orders to Orange Tours, a private bus operator to PAY a patron Rs. 10,000 as compensation for causing ‘mental distress and physical trauma’, following the last-minute cancellation of their travel ticket.
The reimbursement was directed by Vakkanti Narasimha Rao, the President of the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission – II, Hyderabad, in association with PVTR Jawahar Babu and Madhavi Sasanakota.
They additionally directed Orange Tours to refund the cost of the ticket, being Rs. 55, augmented with a 12% interest rate.
The court has allowed 45 days subsequent to receipt of the order for the defendant to adhere to the obligation.
August 2022 Case
In August 2022, a 24-year-old individual originally residing in Hyderabad traveled to Pune via an air-conditioned bus.
The round-trip was booked through a singular travel service provider.
As specified by the advocate of the complainant, the travel service provider belatedly notified the passenger about the cancellation of the aforementioned bus, instructing the passenger to procure a new booking.
Advocate Ismail Zabeullah informed that his client was faced with significant stress and discomfort. The challenges arose from being in an unfamiliar city where he didn’t speak the local language.
With prior engagements awaiting him in Hyderabad, the situation required his same-day return.
This sequence of events eventually led him to cancel his original ticket at 9.40 pm. Furthermore, purchasing a new ticket incurred an additional expense of Rs.55.
A legal proceeding was initiated against Abhibus.com and Orange Tours in December 2022. However, both defendant parties did not recognize the formal legal notification.
The consumer court recently delivered a final ruling. Abhibus.com was excluded from the respondent list owing to a lack of a definitive address for notice delivery.
The complainant sought assistance from Legal Humans, a platform that provides legal support. They spotted his online post on X.
After a thorough evaluation of the case facts and in the absence of any counterarguments from the defendant, the consumer panel decided in favor of the complainant.
