Stranded at 2 at night: IIT Delhi student's nightmare on Rajasthan highway sparks outrage over bus safety
It began as any other intercity trip. Manas had booked a sleeper berth from Delhi to Laxmangarh through a popular online platform that connects users to
private bus services
. The ticket cost him Rs 900—seemingly a fair price for a peaceful overnight ride. But by the early hours of morning, the ride took a dramatic and deeply unsettling detour.
Near Shahjahanpur in Rajasthan, the bus was flagged down by local police. The reason? The operator had been evading road tax payments for over a year. What followed was chaos: every single passenger, including elderly people, women, and children, was asked to deboard in the dead of night with no backup plan in sight.
No Shelter, No Support
The group was left stranded on the roadside, exposed and vulnerable, as time crawled past 2 a.m. 'After two hours on the highway with no help, I was crammed into another bus that had no available seats,' Manas wrote in a now-viral LinkedIn post, detailing the ordeal that has since caught the internet's attention. 'There was just standing room. And even then, some passengers had to board vehicles that weren't even going to their destination. They were dropped off 60 km away and forced to find their own way.'
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His tone was less of complaint and more of a call to action—a searing reminder of how unregulated private transport services can jeopardize not just schedules but safety.
Manas wrote in a now-viral LinkedIn post, detailing the ordeal that has since caught the internet's attention.
Outrage Over Indifference
What aggravated the situation further, Manas claimed, was the lack of accountability from the
online travel platform
. He described the customer support as 'mechanical and unhelpful,' offering no real-time assistance during the emergency. 'There was no backup. No refund. No accountability,' he wrote. 'This isn't about Rs 900—it's about safety and trust in public transport.'
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In an era where consumers book with a single tap, trusting that verification protocols are in place, the experience felt like a breach of more than just expectations—it felt like a breach of basic trust.
Refunds, Resistance, and the Role of Outrage
Initially, Manas was offered a partial refund—15% from the bus operator and 25% from the platform. It was only after he pushed back forcefully and highlighted the issue online that a full refund was processed. 'It shows how outrage is needed for what should have been done in the first place,' he wrote in a follow-up post, adding that he is still unclear whether any real steps have been taken to ensure this won't happen again.
The platform responded in the comments section, stating, 'Please be assured! Appropriate action will be taken to ensure such issues are curbed in the near future. We hope to serve you better.' But for many readers, the assurance seemed too little, too late.
Initially, Manas was offered a partial refund—15% from the bus operator and 25% from the platform.
The Bigger Question: Who's Responsible?
Manas's ordeal has opened up a larger conversation around third-party travel aggregators and the kind of operators they choose to list. 'If you're running a platform that connects people to travel services, the bare minimum is to ensure those services are legally compliant and safe,' he emphasized.
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In a country where countless people rely on intercity bus services for work, education, and family commitments, the incident is a wake-up call. It raises troubling questions about how often such lapses go unreported, and whether it takes a viral post from an IIT student to trigger action.
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