Short answer. No. The Civil Code says a common carrier's responsibility for passenger safety cannot be dispensed with or lessened by stipulation, posted notices, statements on tickets, or otherwise. A "ride at your own risk" sign is exactly the kind of notice this article says cannot reduce the operator's legal responsibility.
What the law says
The responsibility of a common carrier for the safety of passengers as required in articles 1733 and 1755 cannot be dispensed with or lessened by stipulation, by the posting of notices, by statements on tickets, or otherwise.
Civil Code, Article 1757 — Duty to Passengers Cannot Be Waived. Read the full provision →
What the law says
A common carrier is bound to carry the passengers safely as far as human care and foresight can provide, using the utmost diligence of very cautious persons, with a due regard for all the circumstances.
Civil Code, Article 1755 — Utmost Diligence for Passengers. Read the full provision →
The article names the exact methods it blocks
Article 1757 lists specific ways an operator might try to reduce its responsibility, and rules all of them out: by stipulation, by the posting of notices, by statements on tickets, or otherwise. A "ride at your own risk" sign is a posted notice. It falls squarely within the first category the article names, and the article closes any remaining gap with the catch-all "or otherwise," so even a method not specifically listed does not escape the rule.
What responsibility the sign is trying to avoid
The responsibility Article 1757 protects is the one described in Article 1755: a common carrier is bound to carry the passengers safely as far as human care and foresight can provide, using the utmost diligence of very cautious persons. That is a high standard — not ordinary care, but the utmost diligence of a very cautious person. A sign cannot lower that standard for the jeepney or van operator, no matter how clearly it is posted.
Why the law treats this responsibility as non-waivable
Article 1733 explains the underlying reason: common carriers are bound to this extraordinary diligence from the nature of their business and for reasons of public policy. Because the obligation rests on public policy rather than on what the passenger and operator privately agree to, it is not the kind of duty either side can bargain away through a notice, a ticket, or a sign at the vehicle's entrance.
What this means for a passenger
If you were injured while riding a jeepney or van, the presence of a "ride at your own risk" sign does not by itself defeat a claim against the operator. Article 1757 removes that particular defense. It does not, on its own, decide every other question a claim might raise — such as what actually happened and whether the operator met the standard of care Article 1755 requires — but the sign itself is not a shield against responsibility.
Cases citing this provision
These Supreme Court decisions cite the provision above. We list them so you can read them yourself; the summaries of what each decided are not ours to give.
- G.V. Florida Transport, Inc. vs. Heirs of Romeo L. Battung, Jr., represented by Romeo Battung, Sr, G.R. No. 208802, October 14, 2015 — read the decision on LawPhil →
- KLM Royal Dutch Airlines vs. Dr. Jose M. Tiongco, G.R. No. 212136, October 4, 2021 — read the decision on LawPhil →
- Kuwait Airways Corporation vs. The Tokio Marine and Fire Insurance Co., Ltd., and Tokio, G.R. No. 213931, November 17, 2021 — read the decision on LawPhil →
- C.V. Gaspar Salvage & Lighterage Corporation vs. LG Insurance Company, Ltd., (United States Branch), G.R. No. 206892 / G.R. No. 207035, February 3, 2021 — read the decision on LawPhil →
Related provisions
- Civil Code, Article 1757 — Duty to Passengers Cannot Be Waived
- Civil Code, Article 1733 — Extraordinary Diligence Required
- Civil Code, Article 1755 — Utmost Diligence for Passengers