Passenger charged extra on return ticket: Consumer forum penalises TSRTC for Rs.35,000

HYDERABAD: A passenger who was charged extra on his return journey for the same destination, and distance on the same day by the TSRTC was awarded Rs 25,000 as compensation and Rs 10,000 for the costs incurred by him, by the Telangana State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, Hyderabad.

One Y Bhaskar of Aler, Yadadri Bhuvanagiri District along with his wife boarded a Hyderabad-bound TSRTC bus (AP 36 Z 0185) of Janagaon depot at Aler on August 23, 2017. The conductor charged Rs.63 per head. On the return journey, they boarded a different bus of TSRTC (AP 36 Z 0235,) at Hyderabad  to reach Aler but the conductor charged Rs 69 per head.

When asked about the extra charge of six rupees for the same distance the conductor refused to explain and behaved rudely with the passenger. The persistent passenger tried to elicit the information through RTI and came to know that the additional charge was for the extra kilometers the bus has to travel due to traffic diversion from September 9, 2016, to December 19, 2016. As a result, the bus has to travel 10 km distance extra forcing the authorities to charge more.

The TSRTC and the Mahabubabad depot manager in their replies to the complaint filed by Bhaskar said that there was no deficiency in service at their side and the concerned conductor was given Memo and asked to undergo training for courteous behavior with the passengers. They further argued that the instruction of traffic diversion was actually given by the Rachakonda Police Commissionerate and the claim amount of Rs 50,000 by Bhaskar was too high.

The Commission however observed that the TSRTC has been charging extra amounts from the commuters on the same route for nine months even after the traffic diversion was removed subsequently by the police. The Commission observed that the information about the withdrawal of the traffic diversion was not given to the conductors on that route and the TSRTC has garnered a sufficient amount from the extra charge from the ignorant passengers.

“The depot for the reasons better known to the same continues to charge, the enhanced fare, without restoring to the earlier fares, without caring about the welfare of the bus commuters,” the Commission observed. When compared with the amount accumulated by the TSRTC by charging more amount from the passengers for nearly nine months, the awarded compensation is not on the high side, the Commission pointed out.

Finally, the compensation amount has to be reduced to Rs.25,000 and the TSRTC was directed to pay the cost of Rs.10,000 in addition to the compensation. Time for compliance was set at 30 days from the date of receipt of the order issued on March 20,2023.