Uber to pay Rs 20K to passenger for missed flight due to driver's delay

Mumbai, Oct 26: A Mumbai court has found Uber guilty of deficiency in services and asked the firm to pay a sum of Rs 20,000 to a female passenger who missed her flight to Chennai as the Uber cab driver delayed her trip to the airport.

Kavita Sharma, a resident of Dombivli was to take a flight to Chennai on June 12, 2018, at 5.50 pm from Mumbai airport.

An advocate by profession, Kavita booked an Uber cab at 3.29 pm for the airport, which is around 36 km away from her residence.

In her complaint, Kavita claimed that once a car was allotted to her, the driver reached her residence after 14 minutes and picked her only after repeated calls. While she was in a hurry, the driver was busy talking on the phone and started the trip only after ending his conversation.

Further, the driver also took a wrong turn and took the cab to a CNG station and wasted 15-20 minutes. It was 5.23 pm by the time she reached the airport and missed her flight. She had to book the next flight at her own expense.

The passenger also claimed that the estimated fare, at the time of booking, was Rs 563 and she had to pay Rs 703 by the end of her trip. She got a refund of Rs 139, the difference in estimated and actual fare.

Taking the issue to the consumer disputes redressal commission, she alleged that she missed her flight due to driver's negligence and unprofessional conduct.

Uber India, claimed it is just an aggregator and is not responsible for the driver's default as its role is only felicitates a connection between driver and customer.

"All drivers using the app work as independent contractors and are individually responsible for any act committed by them and also for any incident taking place during the transport service. Besides, it claimed the drivers are not employed by Uber," said a Times of India report.

However, the commission stated the passenger sends requests for transportation on the Uber app, and they provide service by arranging and scheduling transportation with third-party providers.

"The woman had taken services of Uber by using the app and paid consideration as charged by the app for the transport to Uber and not to the driver, who was appointed by the firm," the commission observed.