IIT Delhi Student Left Stranded After Bus Stops In Rajasthan, redBus Reacts

An IIT Delhi student, Manas Jajodia, shared a shocking experience on LinkedIn, which has gone viral. As per the post, he was travelling from Delhi to Laxmangarh on a private bus booked through redBus, for which he paid Rs 900 for a sleeper seat. However, at 2 am, the bus was stopped mid-route and detained because it hadn't paid road taxes for over a year. Mr Jajodia and fellow passengers were stranded, highlighting the operational lapses of private bus operators.

"Today, I boarded a Raj Travels bus from Delhi to Laxmangarh, booked via redBus. I paid ₹900 for a single sleeper seat — hoping for a safe overnight journey. Instead, I was stranded at 2 AM near Shahjahanpur along with women, children, and elderly passengers — all forced off the bus. Why? Because the bus hadn't paid its road taxes for over a year. Rajasthan police had to intervene and stop it mid-route. And we? Just collateral damage. No backup. No refund. No accountability," he captioned the post.

Mr Jajodia reported that Rajasthan Police stopped the bus near Shahjahanpur in the early morning, discovering it had been operating without paying road taxes for over a year. All passengers, including women, children, and the elderly, were forced to disembark and left stranded without support.

"After two hours stranded on the roadside, I was forced into another bus that had no available seats — just standing space. I had to travel the rest of the journey in pain, some people forced to go to the bus that didn't even go to their destination, dropping 60 km away from their destination and had to figure out the way to reach themselves," he added.

He also criticised redBus support, calling their responses generic and unhelpful. Mr Jajodia questioned how travel platforms list such illegally operating buses without proper verification and called for better emergency protocols and stricter oversight of bus operators on platforms like redBus. 

"This isn't just about ₹900. It's about trust, safety, and responsibility in public travel. 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. We deserve better," he concluded the post. 

In an update, Mr Jajodia revealed he was initially offered a partial refund--15% from the operator and 25% from redBus. Only after his strong objections did he receive a full refund. "This entire episode clearly shows the lack of responsibility and accountability in such services and mirrors the reality of it, This also shows how it takes outrage to get what should've been done in the first place. I still am not sure about what actions are being taken to ensure such things don't happen in the future," he said.

redBus responded to his post and wrote, "Manas, as discussed over the call. Please be assured! Appropriate action will be taken to ensure such issues are curbed in the near future. We hope to serve you better."

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