Uber ordered to pay Rs 20,000 to customer after she missed her flight

Hyderabad: A consumer court in Mumbai has ordered Uber India to pay Rs 20,000 fine to a woman who missed her flight due to the delay caused by the cab service. Kavita Sharma, who is an advocate by profession, was meant to fly from Mumbai to Chennai on June 12, 2018, in a flight scheduled […]

Hyderabad: A consumer court in Mumbai has ordered Uber India to pay Rs 20,000 fine to a woman who missed her flight due to the delay caused by the cab service.

Kavita Sharma, who is an advocate by profession, was meant to fly from Mumbai to Chennai on June 12, 2018, in a flight scheduled at 5:50 pm. The airport was around 36 km away from her residence, so she booked a ride from Uber to reach Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport, Mumbai around 3:29 pm.

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After booking, Sharma contacted the driver to know the estimated time and after repeated calls, the cab arrived at her pickup location after 14 minutes. He then reportedly took a wrong turn, in a direction opposite to the one suggested in the app, in order to refill the CNG tank in his car.

By the time she reached the airport, it was already 5.23 pm and she missed her flight. Thereafter, Uber billed her Rs 703 for the trip while the estimated fare at the time of booking was Rs 563, the advocate mentioned in her complaint.

She then had to buy the next available ticket and Uber initiated a refund of just Rs 139, the difference between the estimate and the actual fare.

She had also sent a legal notice to the company but it went unanswered. Later, she filed a complaint against Uber India in Thane at the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission.

Though Uber claimed that they are just a software facilitator to connect with the drivers, the consumer commission observed the entire management of the app, transactions, and services are controlled by the company and shall be responsible for the same.

The court further ordered the company to pay an amount of Rs 20,000 to the complainant. While half of this amount is for causing the passenger mental stress, the other Rs 10,000 is for the litigation cost the complainant incurred.