Extremely disappointing experience with…
Extremely disappointing experience with RedBus & Raj Ratan Travels I booked my Mumbai to Indore journey (approx. 12 hours) through RedBus. While selecting the bus, I specifically relied on RedBus’s Comfort Rating of 9.1/10 and therefore chose Raj Ratan Travels. The normal fare for this route was around ₹1,600–₹2,000, but I paid approximately ₹3,130 (₹2,600 + ₹530) because I was willing to pay extra for comfort and safety. I am a claustrophobic patient, so for a 12-hour journey, comfort was not a luxury for me—it was a genuine requirement. I trusted RedBus’s rating and expected a safe and comfortable journey. But after boarding, the reality was completely different. The AC in my cabin was not working, the cabin light was not working, and Wi-Fi was also unavailable. I immediately contacted the bus operator, but I did not get any meaningful resolution. Since I had booked through RedBus and had specifically chosen the bus based on RedBus’s comfort rating, I contacted RedBus customer support expecting them to help. Unfortunately, the experience became even more frustrating. I was repeatedly told things like: - “We are trying to contact Raj Ratan Travels, but nobody is answering.” - I was initially offered ₹310 compensation (10%), although I could not find such a 10% compensation policy clearly mentioned on my ticket or while booking. - I was then told that a supervisor would call me within 1 hour. - After waiting around 1 hour 30 minutes, I had to call again myself. - Then I was told the supervisor would call within 10 minutes. - Another 30 minutes passed, and again nobody called. - Finally, after I contacted them again, I was told that an investigation team would look into the matter and I would receive an update within 48 hours. Honestly, what am I supposed to do during a 12-hour journey while sitting in an uncomfortable/non-functional cabin after paying a premium specifically for comfort? More importantly, what if my health condition had worsened because of the situation? Who would have taken responsibility? I paid extra because I trusted RedBus’s Comfort Rating. If the actual facilities do not match what is represented on the platform, then customers are being encouraged to pay a premium based on information they reasonably expect to be accurate. The most disappointing part was not only the missing facilities—it was the lack of ownership and support when I reported the issue. As a customer, I should not have to repeatedly call, wait, explain the same problem multiple times and chase the company for basic assistance. RedBus may call this a customer-support case or an investigation, but for the passenger sitting inside that bus, this is a real-time comfort, safety and trust issue. I genuinely expected much better from RedBus. After this experience, I would seriously reconsider trusting the platform’s comfort ratings or paying a premium based on them. RedBus and Raj Ratan Travels need to seriously look into this—not just offer a token compensation, but address why customers are being charged a premium for facilities that are not actually provided and why meaningful support is unavailable when something goes wrong.