Q&A: Benefit and Payment for Public Transportation
Benefit and Payment for Public Transportation
Question
I got on a bus and paid for the ride, and then during the trip dirty water started dripping in large amounts from the ceiling of the bus (probably sewage or something like that). It dirtied my computer and clothes and caused a bad smell and discomfort. There was no actual damage that required me to pay money to make up for the loss or anything, but there was definitely discomfort here. If I had known this was the condition of the bus, I wouldn’t have gotten on it, and certainly wouldn’t have paid for the ride (although I did benefit in the sense that the bus brought me to the place I wanted to go).
Can I take the law into my own hands and decide not to pay on my next ride with that same bus company?
Answer
Maybe there is justification for paying less, but not for not paying at all. At the end of the day, you received the transportation service and you are obligated to pay for it. A mistaken transaction applies when you can return the merchandise and then you are not obligated to pay for it. But here it is not a mistaken transaction in that sense.
Discussion on Answer
I don’t think so. What I wrote was also said on the assumption that you are right in your claim that had you known this, you wouldn’t have gotten on.
It should be noted that I asked the driver whether this was a malfunction that the bus company already knew about and they still decided to keep the bus in service, or whether it was a fresh malfunction that they hadn’t yet had time to deal with. He answered that it had already been like this for a month and they knew about it, and they still kept the bus in service even though it was a constant problem.
Does that change anything regarding the question?