It was the most frustrating bus journey I ever had. I booked the ticket using makemytrip for the first time and I regret my choice now. I booked a ticket from KPHB, Hyderabad to Guntur over Moonlight travels. The basic detail about the bus operator they provided on the ticket - the mobile number is incorrect and the phone was never connecting with a message -"The number you tried is not reachable" whenever I call it. I realized it fair early when I called the number on 22March morning(My travel is supposed to start at 21:45 that day.
I kept calling that number number of times until noon and then realized that I got to get an alternate number with the help of customer care of makemytrip. I called the Toll free number provided on the ticket and kept on hold after verifying basic details about me and the ticket. After informing that the operator number was not connecting, I was provided with an alternate mobile number. I was in midst of my work and was now confident that this would serve my problem. So did not call that new number.
Now, it is was 21:00 and I was on the way to reach my boarding point. On the way I called up the new number provided by makemytrip customer care and was only
shocked to know that it was some other Operator running buses out of Bangalore but with the same operator name: Moonlight travels. They confirmed me that
they dont have any buses boarding from Hyderabad.
Amidst confusion and not knowing whom to reach out to, I reached my boarding point. It was getting 21:30 and there were lots of traveller waiting for
respective buses at that point. I checked with few if they are by any chance boarding the same bus but in vain. After few minutes, I thought I would call makemytrip customercare once again but now I got the message that the working hours are closed and an automated system addressed my call which doesnt help my
agony.
I kept gazing all around for a bus from Moonlight travels. Finally I got trace of one which was rushin away. I ran up to it and told my problem. They told me
that their bus did not have any online booked tickets and it should be some other bus of the same service which my ticket belongs to. I pleaded him to give
me some or the other contact of Moonlight travels as I was stuck up there without any calls from them and the time was already running out. It was almost
22:00 hrs by then.
The driver and assistant were so reluctant by then and were asking me only to get down off the bus as if I were a uninvited guest or a begger. I had no other
choice as he was already going far from the boarding point and I had to jump out.
Now back in agony, I wanted to go home for the longweeked with a festival on the Friday and these people encashing the requirement had a price of Rs.550
against the regular price of 280 or 300 per ticket.
Time was running out and I was just waiting waiting. no one to contact, no one to enquire and finally no bus. It was 22:35 by then. When I was just cursing myself to have booked my ticket with such an unreliable Operator, I got a call from some unknown number. I answered it and Thank God it was the bus operator. You know what, he just checked my name and started cursing me for staying back in the boarding point until then and told me that the bus is at SRNagar(this bust stop is almost 10km away from my designated KPHB boarding point)
I retarded saying why dint you call me until now if you are already at SR Nagar. He dint want to answer me he told me that they were just waiting for me to board the bus and it would be 00:30 to pull off the bus from there just because of me. I had no clue what this guy was yelling but one thing on my mind at that point was . I have to catch the bus. I understood am not going to get any valid reply and told him that am taking an auto immediately to reach SR Nagar. That clever auto guy showcasing the traffic and my hurry, squeezed 100 bucks for taking me to SR Nagar.
The auto guy anyways was quick enough and took me to SR Nagar by 23:00. I had to call the operator couple of times while trying to trace the exact place
where the bus is as that place was new. Now, I reached the bus and I saw something happening in front of it. The police were trying to write a fine for
standing the bus there or something of sort. dint know what it was for.
Now the bus assistant hurried me into the bus saying we got to start off from there and they have a problem with the Police.
I dint even get a chance to talk. I was only happy that I finally am going to home for the festival but by then was lot upset with the way the bus operator
dealt with me. the tension and pain in waiting for more than an hour after the designate pick up time, not knowing whom to contact.
I couldn’t wait anymore, I walked from my seat to the driver cabin and asked him straight why did not you pick me up at KPHB.
The driver and assitant started saying that close to 10 people boarded the bus at 21:40. I said I was at the pick up point by 21:30 but could not find the
bus and asked him to show who all boarded at KPHB. They then diverted the discussion, saying that I did not call the them. I showed the number given by
makemytrip with the invalid mobile number and told him that it was not connecting.
Well even if I could not connect them, I was wondering why the hell they can’t call me. The only answer both told was that they waiting for me to board the
bus in any of the coming stops after my selected boarding point of KPHB. KPHB was the very starting point for the bus as per the information on Makemytrip.
Going by common sense, if one books a ticket at a starting point of a bus within a city, it has least chance that he boards somewhere away from that point,
because he would most probably be already staying near or behind the very starting point and that could be the reason he chooses that.
And it seems they were waiting for me for all the boarding points across 10km from KPHB to SR NAgar. Awesome irresponsible reply.
After all this discussion happened, people were still boarding the bus for 30 more minutes in the same point and it started from there by 23:30 hrs.
The only conclusion I could draw was the bus did not start from KPHB and they were trying to push the reason over my head that I was not calling them.
I was so frustrated to understand that makemytrip is dealing with such irresponsible, un punctual, rude to the customer, reckless bus operator services.
Makemytrip.com - I just don’t understand how horrible you have been earlier and how many guys like me had a torture just for the reason of choosing you.Having such unreliable bus operators on your list of available buses.shows your negligence to customer care.Do let me know if you need any more information just in-case you want to take some action to stop such incidents from repeating.