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Terms & Conditions

Last updated: 29 September 2026

These Terms govern your use of the PathYatra website, platform and apps, operated by PathYatra, currently operated by its founders Abhinav Mandal and Abhishek Mandal. By using the website, submitting an early-access application, or creating an account once the apps are released, you agree to these Terms.

1. What PathYatra is — and what it is not

PathYatra is a technology platform. We provide software that lets bus operators manage ticketing, staff shifts, cash reconciliation and trip tracking, and that lets passengers find and book seats on those operators' buses.

We do not own, operate, drive or maintain any bus. Every journey is provided by an independent bus operator holding their own permits and insurance. When you book a seat, the contract of carriage is between you and that operator. Our role is to make the booking possible, to pass information between you, and to help when something goes wrong.

This distinction matters, and it is not a way of avoiding responsibility. Section 9 sets out what we are responsible for.

2. Who these Terms apply to

  • Bus owners and operators — also subject to the Operator Agreement.
  • Conductors, drivers and other staff added by an operator — also subject to the Operator Agreement and the Safety Policy.
  • Passengers booking a seat — also subject to the Passenger Terms.
  • Anyone visiting this website, including people submitting the early-access form.

Where a specific policy says something more detailed than these Terms, the specific policy applies to that subject.

3. Eligibility

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account or make a booking. An adult may book on behalf of a minor travelling with them, and remains responsible for that booking. If you register on behalf of a business, you confirm you are authorised to bind it.

4. Your account

  • Give accurate information, and keep it up to date.
  • Keep your login credentials and one-time passwords to yourself.
  • If you are an operator, you are responsible for the staff you add, the roles you give them, and removing access when someone leaves.
  • We may verify your identity and business documents before enabling payments or bookings. What that involves is described in section 6.
  • Tell us promptly if you think your account has been accessed by someone else.

5. Fees

For operators, PathYatra is offered on a subscription of ₹590 per bus, per month, inclusive of all taxes — nothing is added on top. First month free on your first bus, for new operators. A booking commission applies separately — 5% on cash bookings and 2% on online bookings, the online rate being the usual 5% reduced by a 3% subsidy we currently absorb.

Passengers booking online pay a platform charge, shown as a separate line before payment. That charge is ours and does not affect what the operator receives.

How money is collected, how commission on cash bookings is recovered, and how settlements are calculated are all set out in the Payments, Commission & Settlement policy. Please read it — the cash-commission set-off in particular is something you should understand before signing up. Current pricing is also shown on the Pricing page.

We may change fees, commission rates, the subsidy or the platform charge with reasonable advance notice. Introductory offers are time-limited and stated as such.

6. Verification and documents

Before an operator can take bookings or receive settlements, we verify the business and the vehicles. That may include identity verification through DigiLocker or Aadhaar offline verification, PAN for tax purposes, and vehicle documents such as the permit, fitness certificate, insurance and pollution certificate.

We do not store your Aadhaar number or Aadhaar images, and we never use Aadhaar as a login. What we keep is the outcome of the verification. This is explained in more detail in the Privacy Policy.

Keeping permits, fitness, insurance and driver licences valid and current is the operator's legal obligation, not ours. Submitting a document to us does not transfer that obligation, and we may suspend an account where a required document has expired.

7. Location and live tracking

Location is collected from the staff device assigned to an active trip, so that passengers can see where the bus is and the operator can monitor the route. Collection is limited to the trip: it starts when the trip starts and stops when it ends. Passengers see the position of the bus, not a history of any individual's movements. The full detail is in the Privacy Policy.

8. Acceptable use

  • Use PathYatra only for lawful purposes connected with bus travel and bus operations.
  • Do not create fake bookings, fake listings, fake reviews, or accounts in someone else's name.
  • Do not scrape, copy, resell or systematically extract our data, listings or fares; and do not attempt to interfere with, probe or gain unauthorised access to our systems.
  • Do not upload content that is unlawful, abusive, obscene, misleading, or that infringes someone else's rights.
  • Do not misrepresent a bus, its amenities, its timings or its fare.
  • Do not use the platform to harass, threaten or endanger passengers, staff or anyone else.

We may remove content, restrict features, or suspend an account where we reasonably believe this section has been breached. Where safety is involved we may act immediately.

9. Our responsibilities and the limits of them

We are responsible for providing the platform with reasonable skill and care, for keeping your data as described in the Privacy Policy, for settling operator payments correctly, and for handling complaints through the Grievance Redressal process.

We are not responsible for how an operator actually runs a bus — its punctuality, the condition of the vehicle, the conduct of staff, the route taken, or acts of the operator outside the platform. Nor are we responsible for events outside reasonable control, such as weather, road closures, strikes, government action or network failure.

What we do not attempt to do is exclude liability that cannot be excluded. Nothing in these Terms limits our liability for death or personal injury caused by our negligence, for fraud, or for anything else that Indian law does not permit us to limit — including your rights under consumer protection law and under data protection law. Any limitation stated elsewhere on this site is subject to this paragraph. The fuller statement is in the Disclaimer & Limitation of Liability.

10. Third-party services

Payments are processed by a payment aggregator authorised by the Reserve Bank of India, and we use hosting, database, mapping, messaging and analytics providers to run the service. Their own terms apply to their services. We choose providers carefully, but we do not control them. Who they are and what they do is listed in the Privacy Policy.

11. Intellectual property

The PathYatra name, logo, software, design and content belong to us. You may use the platform as intended, but not copy, adapt or redistribute it. Content you upload remains yours; you give us permission to use it only as far as needed to run the service. Full detail, and how to report an infringement, is in the Copyright & Intellectual Property policy.

12. Suspension and termination

You may stop using PathYatra at any time, and may ask us to close your account and delete your data through the Data Deletion process.

We may suspend or close an account for breach of these Terms, for non-payment, for fraud, or where continuing would create a safety or legal risk. Except in urgent cases we will tell you why and give you a chance to respond. On closure, confirmed bookings already made will be honoured or refunded, outstanding settlements will be paid after lawful deductions, and records will be kept only as long as law requires.

13. Complaints

If something goes wrong, tell us — you do not have to escalate before we will help. Contact support@pathyatra.com or use the Grievance Redressal process, which names the officer responsible and the time within which you can expect a reply.

14. Changes to these Terms

We may update these Terms. For material changes we will give notice in the app or by email before they take effect, and the date at the top of this page will change. If you do not accept a change, you may stop using the service. Continued use after the change takes effect means you accept it.

15. Governing law and disputes

These Terms are governed by the laws of India. We would much rather resolve a dispute by talking to you, so please raise it with us first through the grievance process. If it cannot be resolved that way, the courts in India will have jurisdiction.

16. Contact

PathYatra, currently operated by its founders Abhinav Mandal and Abhishek Mandal
Email: support@pathyatra.com
Support hours: Mon–Sat, 10am – 7pm IST

Full contact details, including the grievance officer, are on the Contact page.