Delivering its verdict in a case that had been ongoing since 2018, a consumer court in Mumbai directed Uber India to pay a compensation amount of Rs 20,000 to a customer. The client, Kavita Sharma from Dombivli, missed her plane due to a delay on the cab driver’s part. Sharma, an advocate, took the cab service to court following the incident and fought the case for nearly four years before getting redressal. As per a Times of India report, half of the fine amount is to compensate for the mental stress she had to undergo, while the remaining amount is for the litigation cost, she had to bear.
The saga began in 2018 when Sharma booked a cab from her home in Dombivli at 3:29 pm. She had to get on a 5:50 pm flight headed to Chennai. Her destination, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, was 36 kilometres away from her residence. Despite the traffic, it would have taken her an hour to reach the airport.
However, her driver arrived 14 minutes after the booking confirmation following multiple calls. Sharma also said that her ride caused further delays, only starting the trip after getting off a phone call. The driver allegedly went in the opposite direction from the destination to refill his CNG tank. Multiple delays resulted in Sharma reaching the airport at 5:23 pm, missing her flight. Sharma’s fare, which was estimated to be 563, was hiked up to Rs 703.
Uber only initiated a refund for the extra amount she was charged compared to the estimated fare.
Sharma sent a legal notice to the firm. Upon receiving no response, she approached the Thane District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission.
Uber argued that being an aggregator, it only scheduled transportation services, shirking away responsibility for default committed by the drivers.
However, the Commission noted that since Uber managed the app, all transactions and services came under its ambit. It granted Sharma a compensation of Rs 20,000, to be paid by the app-based transportation service provider.
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