Bus Takes Different Route, Passenger Misses Flight; Andhra Consumer Commission Orders Rs 73,000 Payout

A few hours can make all the difference when you are travelling to catch a flight. A bus delay left one passenger in Andhra Pradesh in reaching the airport after his flight had already departed, leading him to approach a consumer commission.

The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, Kurnool in an order on August 17, 2026 directed Greenline Travels to pay Rs 73,000 to the passenger, holding that the bus operator was deficient in providing its service.

What Happened in the Case

G.M. Anvith Mithra, a 24-year-old student from Adoni had been selected to pursue an M.Phil. in Clinical Psychology at the Institute of Human Behaviour and Allied Sciences (IHBAS), Delhi and was required to report for the course on October 27, 2025.

Mithra had booked an IndiGo flight from Bengaluru to Hindon Ghaziabad which was scheduled to depart at 10:50 am on October 26. To reach Bengaluru, he booked a Greenline Travels bus from Adoni, scheduled to leave at 11:15 pm on October 25 and reach Bengaluru around 5 am the next day.

According to the complaint, Mithra asked the driver about the expected arrival time at Devanahalli Toll Cross and was told that the bus would reach between 5 am and 5:30 am. At around 5 am, he was informed that the bus was travelling through a different route and would reach Devanahalli only around 9 am.

The bus reached Devanahalli at around 11:30 am by which time his flight had departed.

Mithra then booked an Air India flight to Delhi scheduled for 7:30 pm the same day. He also incurred accommodation expenses and reached Delhi around 2 am the following day. Greenline Travels denied deficiency in service by citing ticket terms which allowed changes to routes and timings depending on circumstances and operational requirements.

What Did the Commission Observe

The Commission noted that Greenline Travels had not provided convincing evidence explaining the route deviation or substantial delay.

It said the ticket terms could protect the operator against delays caused by circumstances beyond reasonable control, but could not give it unlimited freedom to change the route or substantially alter arrival times. It said: “It cannot be construed as an unrestricted licence to deviate from the scheduled route or materially alter the arrival time without reasonable justification or without informing the passenger.”

The Commission also noted that the bus was scheduled to arrive around 5 am, while the flight was at 10:50 am, providing a reasonable time gap. It said the passenger could not be faulted for relying on the schedule represented by the operator.

The Commission said that while minor and unavoidable delays may be inherent in road transport, an unexplained delay of several hours that causes a passenger to miss a pre-booked flight amounts to a failure to provide the service with reasonable care and diligence.

The Commission said, “The failure to transport the complainant within the represented schedule, coupled with the absence of timely information regarding the route deviation and delay, constitutes deficiency in service.”

What Did the Commission Award

Mithra had asked for Rs 7,840 for the unused IndiGo ticket, Rs 8,000 for the replacement Air India flight, and Rs 5,000 towards accommodation. He had also asked for Rs 5 lakh for mental agony and Rs 1 lakh towards litigation costs.

The Commission did not award the Rs 7,840 for the unused IndiGo ticket. It awarded Rs 13,000 towards the replacement flight and accommodation expenses. It also awarded Rs 50,000 for mental agony, inconvenience and harassment, and Rs 10,000 towards litigation costs, taking the total amount payable to Rs 73,000.

The Commission also directed Greenline Travels to pay the amount within 45 days of receiving the order. On failing to do so, the amount would carry an annual interest of 12 per cent from the date of default until the payment is made.