Reimbursement of fare for remaining distance
I was travelling to my native village with the entire family. Firstly, we were embarrassed before departure as the bus was delayed for almost two hours. Secondly, while on route, the bus underwent two breakdowns. The second breakdown resulted in us having to stay on the roadside for five hours though we were only fifty kilometres away from our village. We then decided to get off the bus and take alternative transport for the remaining distance and asked the bus conductor to pay back a proportionate fare for the remaining distance but he refused and insisted that we should wait. Was the conductor justified?
RB, Dodoma
The conductor was not justified to refuse your request. The Transport Licensing (Public Service Vehicles) Regulations, 2020, (the Regulations) provide that a licensee who has issued a ticket to a passenger, should provide transport services in accordance with terms and conditions of licence and timetable approved by the Land Transport Regulatory Authority (the Authority). The Regulations further provide that where the licensee fails to provide inter-city or inter-national transport services to a passenger within 1 hour from the specified time of departure, the licensee should refund to the passenger the full fare unless the passenger voluntarily agrees to wait for the licensee to provide alternative transport.
While en route and stuck due to a mechanical breakdown, the licensee is required, within 2 hours, either to provide alternative transport; or let passengers to look for alternative transport and within 7 days refund fare equivalent to the remaining distance. Thus, the bus owner was duty bound to refund you the proportionate bus fare for the remaining 50 kilometers within 7 days. If that has not happened you can write to the Authority for them to take action.