Consumer forum orders Uber to compensate advocate for missing flight

Consumer forum orders Uber to compensate advocate for missing flight

The transportation company has been fined Rs.20,000

The Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, Thane, Mumbai, has directed cab operator Uber India to compensate a complainant. The petitioner, an advocate, missed a Chennai-bound flight due to the driver's negligence for which the company was held liable.

The advocate booked an Uber cab from her residence in Mumbai to reach the airport from where she was supposed to board the flight to Chennai. She claimed that the driver did not reach her destination in time and a considerable time elapsed.

Meanwhile, the driver was continuously speaking on the phone and did not start the trip. He also took a wrong turn even though the mobile application instructed otherwise.

The consumer redressal forum thus held that the complainant was a consumer of Uber and the driver was acting as an agent of the aggregator.

The Commission observed, "The opposite party is responsible for a defective service given to the complainant. Though it accepted its fault and tried to resolve the grievance by adjusting an extra fare of Rs.139 paid by the complainant for a longer route, this was unjustified for the mental agony faced by the complainant."

The forum ordered Uber to pay Rs.20,000 to the complainant - Rs.10,000 as compensation and Rs.10,000 as litigation expenses.