Should the driver stop at a passenger's request to prevent the bus from becoming a torture chamber

Should the driver stop at a passenger's request to prevent the bus from becoming a torture chamber 0

A person cannot always fully control their natural needs — including the need to use the restroom. Yes, one can go beforehand or try to hold it in, but there are situations when this is impossible. What should one do if the need arises on a bus where there is no restroom? Reader Liene shared a similar case.

“Yesterday I was on an intercity bus. I don’t do this often, but sometimes it’s necessary. The trip lasted 2.5 hours. About an hour after departure, a man approached the driver, and soon the bus stopped. I saw him get off. As far as I understood from other passengers, he urgently needed to use the restroom. Then I wondered — is this actually allowed? I have never dared to do that myself; I always hold it in,” said Liene to the editorial team.

To find out if this is permissible, journalists contacted a representative of the Transport Directorate.

Viktors Zaķis, head of the communications department, explained:

“According to paragraph 14 of the Cabinet of Ministers Regulation No. 599 ‘Procedure for Providing and Using Public Transport Services,’ if the duration of a regional intercity route exceeds three hours, the vehicle must be equipped with ergonomic seats and a luggage area. If there is no restroom on the bus, a stop must be provided midway at a location with sanitary facilities.”

However, in practice, this is not always possible:

“For objective reasons, it is not always possible to organize a stop strictly in the middle of the route, as it may be a section of highway without any infrastructure. Therefore, for trips lasting more than three hours, scheduled stops are provided, but they do not necessarily occur exactly in the middle of the journey.”

As an example, he cited the route from the Riga International Bus Station to Liepaja, which takes 3 hours and 35 minutes.