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Delaying a bus to catch a last-minute passenger

Question:

Is it permitted to delay/stop a bus you or someone else is rushing to catch?

(You know how people running up to the bus signal & call out to the driver to wait for them or how people on the bus call out to the driver to wait, or even stand on the step of the bus in a way so that the door can’t close until the delayed person makes it on to the bus?)

Or is it gezel, maybe for the driver or for the people on the bus who might be relying on a timely bus to get them to an appointment without delays?

Thank you very much.

Answer:

It is permitted and a chesed to stop the bus or to call out to the driver to wait for the person trying to make the bus if it is within a reasonable amount of time. It is not gezel because the people on the bus go on the bus with the understanding that it is public transportation, which means taking all the people that want to go on that route. It is surely not gezel from the bus driver, (even if he is short on patience) because this is precisely what he is being paid for. In fact, often the bus driver will not wait for people for more than a second or two to get on the bus. That is incorrect, because he is being paid to take all the passengers that need the service.

Best Wishes

Sources:

Poskim

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4 Comments

  1. What about the fact that one is causing the ones that are currently on the bus to all have to wait for the late guy to come? Isn’t that stealing their time? (I’m not talking about 2-3 seconds, but 10-20 seconds.) The late guy can always take the next bus.

    1. A person taking public transportation, is doing with the understanding that there will be delays because of the other people. As long as the delay is within a reasonable amount of time, this is what public transportation is about. It is easy to say “the other guy should take the next bus”, but you yourself wouldn’t like other’s to say that to you. It is costing you 10-20 seconds, but it cost the other person 20 minutes. Again this is only if the delay is within reason, as a person can not hold up a bus for an unreasonable amount of time.

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