Got scammed by private bus agents near Kashmiri Gate ISBT, Delhi while going to Rishikesh/Kedarnath.
We are a group of 8 friends from Jharkhand traveling to
Kedarnath. Sharing this so others don't become victims
of the same scam.
When we reached near Kashmiri Gate ISBT in Delhi to
take a bus for Rishikesh, some private bus agents
approached us repeatedly saying they would arrange an
"AC sleeper" bus. We ignored them many times, but they
kept forcing and convincing us.
Finally, we asked the fare and they clearly told us it was
₹498 per person from Delhi to Rishikesh. Since we were
8 people, we paid around ₹4000 total.
But after taking the money, they suddenly refused to
give us tickets and demanded ₹2400 more, saying the
"actual" price was ₹798 per person.
When we argued that they had quoted ₹498 earlier, they
started shouting and threatening us. The situation
almost became physical. We then asked them to cancel
the booking, but they said either:
· Pay ₹2400 more, OR
· Lose 50% of the ₹4000 already paid.
At that point we realized this was probably a regular
scam and they were operating in their own area, so for
safety we had no option except paying the extra
amount.
And the scam didn't end there.
Inside the bus, passengers were packed like animals
despite it being sold as an "AC sleeper." Later we found
out many other passengers had also been cheated
similarly. Some people had paid ₹1000-1100 per person
for the same bus.
Worst part: they promised Rishikesh drop but left us at
Nepali Farm instead.
Later I searched online and found many people
reporting similar experiences with private buses around
Kashmiri Gate and Nepali Farm drops