Public transport accidents

When you travel as a passenger on a bus, a minibus (buseta), a taxi, the metro, a cable car or an intercity bus, the transport company is obligated to get you to your destination safe and sound (Article 982 of the Commercial Code). If you are injured during the trip—because of sudden braking, a door that closes on you, a crash, or a fall while getting on or off—the company is liable, and to avoid liability it would have to prove that the harm was due to an external cause (causa extraña) (Article 992 of the Commercial Code).

In addition, public passenger transport companies must carry contractual and non-contractual liability insurance policies that cover their passengers (Decree 1079 of 2015), and the vehicle must have SOAT (Colombia's mandatory traffic accident insurance).

What we do for you

• We identify the company, the vehicle and its insurance policies, even if you only remember the route or the vehicle's internal number.
• We claim compensation from the company and its insurers.
• If the trip ended in a crash with another vehicle, we also file a claim against that driver and their insurer.

Keep in mind

• Keep your ticket, fare card or any other proof of the trip, and ask other passengers who saw what happened for their contact details.
• Claims arising from the transport contract have a short deadline: two years (Article 993 of the Commercial Code). Get advice soon.