12 hrs ago
Himachal Commission Orders HRTC to Pay ₹50,029 Over Fare
A passenger took an HRTC bus between Una and Haridwar in August 2024.
He paid ₹488 one day and ₹517 for the same distance the next day.
He asked why the fare was higher by ₹29.
HRTC said the difference came from a higher toll charge.
The company said the toll information had not yet been updated in its machine.
The consumer commission said HRTC did not show enough records to prove this toll increase applied.
It decided that the extra charge was unfair.
HRTC must now pay the passenger ₹50,029 in total.
A passenger said HRTC charged him ₹517 instead of ₹488 for the same 361-kilometre return journey.
HRTC argued the higher fare included an increased toll that had not been updated in its machine.
The Una District Consumer Commission found HRTC had not produced records proving the toll increase or its approval.
The commission ruled that charging the additional ₹29 amounted to deficient service and an unfair practice.
HRTC was ordered to pay ₹29 in refund, ₹30,000 for harassment, and ₹20,000 in litigation costs.
- Who
- An HRTC passenger and the Himachal Road Transport Corporation.
- What
- The Una District Consumer Commission ordered HRTC to pay ₹50,029 after finding that it improperly charged ₹29 extra on a bus journey.
- Where
- The passenger travelled between Una and Haridwar, and the complaint was heard by the Una District Consumer Commission in Himachal Pradesh.
- When
- The journeys took place on August 13 and 14, 2024; the commission’s order was dated September 7.
- Why
- The commission found that HRTC did not prove that the increased toll had been properly approved and applied to the passenger’s ordinary-bus journey.
Passenger and Commission
HRTC’s Defence
Reason for the higher fare
Passenger and Commission
The passenger said both journeys covered the same 361-kilometre distance and that the conductor improperly charged ₹29 more on the return trip.
HRTC’s Defence
HRTC said the higher fare included an increased toll, which had not been updated in the required machine on August 13 but was collected on August 14 under verbal directions.
Evidence for the toll increase
Passenger and Commission
The commission said HRTC produced no chart or National Highway Authority of India record proving that the toll had increased from ₹26 to ₹55.
HRTC’s Defence
HRTC relied on a document concerning an increased toll, but the commission found that the document applied to super-luxury buses rather than the ordinary bus used by the passenger.
Applicable fare
Passenger and Commission
The commission noted that HRTC’s records were unclear and ruled that the unsupported extra charge was deficient service and an unfair practice.
HRTC’s Defence
HRTC maintained that the increased toll justified the ₹517 fare, although the commission found that the corporation had not shown competent-authority approval for the charge.
Key facts
- Passenger’s first fare
- ₹488 for the Una-to-Haridwar journey on August 13, 2024
- Passenger’s return fare
- ₹517 for the Haridwar-to-Una journey on August 14, 2024
- Disputed difference
- ₹29
- Journey distance
- 361 kilometres
- Total payout
- ₹50,029
- Compensation breakdown
- ₹29 refund, ₹30,000 for mental tension and harassment, and ₹20,000 for litigation expenses
- Payment deadline
- Within 30 days
Quotes
Una District Consumer Commission
The Himachal Pradesh district consumer commission hearing the passenger’s complaint
“The complainant has therefore proved that the conductor of the opposite parties (HRTC) has charged Rs 29 more from the complainant while coming back to Una from Haridwar, which is a deficiency in service and unfair practice on behalf of the opposite parties and the complainant is entitled to the claim”
indianexpress.com
“Not even any record from the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) has been produced which could show that toll was increased by NHAI on the road from Haridwar to Una”
indianexpress.com
Sources
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