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Subscribe to RSSA court in France ordered the national rail company SNCF to pay 1,500 euros (about $2,000) to a commuter who said she lost her secretarial job because of repeated train delays, the BBC reported.
According to the report, Soazig Parassols, 25, argued that her trains from Amberieu-en-Bugey, a small town about 37 miles away from her job in Lyon, were delayed at least six times during an employment trial period in June 2010. She lost her job the following month because she was repeatedly late, the BBC said.
Delays ranged from 10 to 75 minutes, the BBC reported, and the law firm in Lyon where she worked said her late arrivals were hurting the company.
The court ruled this caused her stress.
Parassols was awarded another 1,500 euros in legal costs but, the BBC reported, the court decided she had not suffered financial loss. The woman was asking for 45,000 euros.
According to the BBC, SNCF has compensated commuters for delays before. The rail company paid a lawyer nearly 5,000 euros when he missed a connection to Nimes for a meeting.
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I wonder what the on time percentage would be here in the US?
I'd be more interested to know how much leeway time had she left herself?
If a 10 minute delay caused her to get there late, I'd guess not much. Obviously taking an earlier train never occurred to this lady.
I would think the rail company would need to start thinking about appealing some of these fines. If they're force majeure situations then I don't comprehend how they could be liable.
I disagree with Voter-in-LA. Transporters need to take responsibility for any losses caused by their inefficiency. Especially if they come under government control. I would assume that the question of leaving earlier entered the court negotiations. There may have been no earlier train. The only consistency here is the regular tardiness of the train. I wonder how many other commuters were/are affected by this railroad line.
I agree somewhat that transportation should be responsible, but as usual stories reported are lacking detail. For example did she have to use more than one form of transportation, did arriving late cause her to miss connections, etc.
I don't have a problem with fining companies for being consistently 75 minutes late, but personally I think doing so for 10 minutes is absurd.
Of course the end result of these kind of fines will be the same stupidity we now face with airlines. In order to avoid the astronomic fines levied if delayed beyond regulatory times, airlines simply cancel flights. Last month I was delayed for 3 days getting back to my job because my local flight to Houston where I connect got canceled three days in a row after they realized delays would expose them to fines.
Here is a tip to getting to work on time. Don't live 37 miles from work
depends on where you live and work, but scheduling travel time is your responsibility. Here in Wy you may live close to where you work, but STILL have 45 mins or more of travel time on Highways averaging 65 mph. of course you wont get mugged on your way to work here either!
late once in a while i can see, she was ALWAYS late! Thats why she was fired, lacadasical attitude will get your lazy ash fired here too. But you are expected to take OWNERSHIP of your problems not the subway or any mass transit.