Person Demands Money From a Co-Worker After Giving Them Free Rides for 14 Months. Were They Wrong?

It seems like some people just can’t help being freeloaders…

And sometimes you just have to put folks like that in their place.

Is this person an a**hole for finally laying down the law and asking a co-worker for money after months of free rides?

Let’s take a look at what they had to say in this story from Reddit’s “Am I the A**hole?” page.

“For the last fourteen months, I have been driving one of my coworkers to and from work.

She only lives a mile up the road from me and is on the way, so I’ve never asked her for a dime or accepted when she’s offered me money. From my perspective, I’m going there either way, and her overall household expenses are higher than my own, so it felt like the thing to do.

Over the weekend, my car went to the shop. I told my coworker that I wouldn’t be available to give her a ride either Monday or Tuesday. She said it wasn’t a problem because her boyfriend is off this week and would give her a ride. I asked if I could bum a ride as well.

I even offered to walk to her home so they wouldn’t have to drive backwards. She asked her boyfriend about it and he said he would, but he wanted $20 for the two days.

I know it’s just $20, but that set me off. I declined the offer and said I’d find my own ride. At work yesterday, she asked about my car. I told her I’d be getting my car Tuesday night after work, but that going forward I’d like $30 a week (1/3 my gas costs) if she wanted to ride with me.

She was upset about this and said her boyfriend had only wanted money from me because by having me in the car he was being forced to drive straight home when he picked me up. I pointed out that I’ve been happy to drive straight home to help her out for over a year and that it probably wouldn’t have killed him to show me at least some level of appreciation.

Today she said she’d no longer be riding with me after talking about it with her boyfriend. She said she felt disappointed with me for holding his actions against her and that I was being petty.

A couple other coworkers told me throughout the day that her boyfriend’s just an a**hole and she doesn’t really have a say at home, but overall agreed with me that it was a d**k move.

From my perspective, this dude directly benefits from me thanks to his girlfriend not needing a car of her own or spending a dime in travel, and my coworker should have defended me.

Do you all think I’m being petty about this?”

Here’s what Reddit users had to say about this.

This reader they were petty but NTA.

Photo Credit: Reddit

Another individual said this isn’t their responsibility and they’re NTA.

Photo Credit: Reddit

And one individual said they aren’t being petty.

Photo Credit: Reddit

My advice? Don’t let them walk all over you anymore.