Brands
Ola Ordered to Pay Rs 50,000 in Consumer Service Deficiency Case
Kurnool consumer panel holds aggregator liable after exam-bound passenger was stranded.
MUMBAI: A ride meant to reach an examination hall ended up taking a detour straight into a courtroom. The Kurnool District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission has directed Ola to pay Rs 50,000 in compensation and Rs 5,000 towards litigation costs to a passenger after finding the ride-hailing platform guilty of deficiency in service in a case involving an alleged route deviation and passenger abandonment.
The order was passed by a bench comprising Commission President Karanam Kishore Kumar and member S. Najeema Kausar.
The complaint was filed by Ullaji Chennamma, a resident of P. Chittakunta village in Allagadda mandal of Andhra Pradesh’s Nandyal district. Chennamma stated that on October 11, 2025, she had booked an Ola auto from Guntur to Acharya Nagarjuna University to appear for the Junior Civil Judge Mains examination.
According to the complaint, the vehicle that arrived was different from the one displayed on the app. After collecting the one-time password (OTP), the driver allegedly began the trip but deviated from the designated route by nearly 25 kilometres. The situation escalated on the Narasaraopet-Guntur road when the driver reportedly demanded additional payment.
When Chennamma refused, the driver allegedly stopped the vehicle midway and left both her and her mother stranded on the roadside.
The complainant argued that the incident caused significant mental distress, fear and inconvenience, particularly given the importance of the examination she was travelling to attend.
During the proceedings, Ola, operated by ANI Technologies Private Limited, informed the commission that it had suspended the driver and removed the vehicle from its platform. However, the commission held that the company could not escape liability by portraying itself solely as a technology aggregator.
After examining the evidence on record, the panel concluded that there had been a clear deficiency in service and ruled in favour of the complainant.
The commission directed Ola to pay the compensation amount within 45 days and advised the company to strengthen its monitoring mechanisms to prevent similar incidents in the future.
The ruling adds to the growing scrutiny of app-based mobility platforms, signalling that consumer protection obligations extend beyond technology and into the actual experience delivered on the road.
