Bolt Responded to the Harassment of Ukrainian Women in Milan by a Female Taxi Driver from Russia
3 August 13:20
ANALYSIS FROM 
The ride-hailing service Bolt has found itself at the center of a scandal in Italy. The incident stemmed from the inappropriate behavior of a company employee in Milan, who discriminated against Ukrainian female passengers on the basis of language. The company has now launched an internal investigation. Meanwhile, the public is demanding that the driver be held legally accountable under local anti-xenophobia laws. Details are available in the article "Komersant Ukrainian".
Why did the conflict arise?
Passenger Anna Danylyuk shared a story on the social media platform “Trends” about what happened to her and her friends during a trip to Milan, Italy.
According to the young woman, throughout the entire trip, the passengers spoke exclusively in Ukrainian among themselves and had no contact whatsoever with the driver, whose name was Tetyana. However, at the end of the trip, a simple act of politeness provoked aggression from the driver.
“At the end of the ride, as we were getting out of the car, a friend said ‘thank you,’ to which we received a response consisting of insults, profanity, and offensive gestures. The video shows only a fragment that I managed to capture; before that, there were a lot of offensive words. We were in shock. What upsets me the most is that in 2026, someone working in the service industry would treat passengers this way because of the language they speak,” Anna noted in her post.
Bolt’s Response
Bolt’s official customer support team has already responded to the incident. Company representatives called the situation “absolutely unacceptable” and asked the passenger to provide her contact information so they could conduct an internal investigation:
“Good evening. We’re very sorry to hear about your experience. What you’ve described and shown is absolutely unacceptable, and we understand how unpleasant and shocking this situation must have been. Please send us a private message and share your account details. We will definitely conduct a thorough investigation into this incident.”
The victim is currently awaiting the official results of the investigation and appropriate sanctions against the driver. We continue to monitor the situation.
The Internet is outraged by the behavior of a Bolt driver in Milan
The story of a Bolt driver in Milan who berated Ukrainian female passengers for speaking Ukrainian has sparked a wave of outrage on social media. Users are overwhelmingly condemning the xenophobia and expressing support for the victims.
Anger and condemnation have become the dominant emotions. The driver is being called a “Muscovite bitch” and “Russian scum” and is accused of supporting the “Russian World.” People are calling on Bolt to explain why they hire such individuals.
The online community is also calling for legal accountability. Users are detailing Italian legislation, which provides for imprisonment and heavy fines for acts of xenophobia and racism. Ukrainians are being urged to file reports with the police and hire lawyers.
This incident turned out not to be an isolated one. Another user recognized the driver and said that she had given off an “unpleasant vibe” and reacted negatively to the passengers’ Ukrainian origins as far back as last year.
Users are also mocking the driver’s phrase “you’ve come all the way to Milan,” hinting that she is likely a migrant herself. They are actively sharing screenshots of the trip route, the one-star rating, and the car’s license plate number, demanding that Bolt fire the driver and even seek her deportation.
What does the driver face under Italian law?
Italy has strict laws against discrimination, racism, and xenophobia. Depending on how law enforcement classifies the driver’s actions, she could face both administrative and criminal charges. Public acts of discrimination, contempt, or incitement to hatred based on national or ethnic origin are punishable by imprisonment for up to 1.5 years or a fine of up to 6,000 euros. If the actions were accompanied by threats or provoked violence, the prison term may increase to 4 years.
Under Italy’s Civil Code, public insults and profanity directed at passengers are punishable by monetary compensation to the victims and fines. If it turns out that the driver is a foreign national (as suggested by users online), systematic violations of the law and criminal prosecution for xenophobia are direct grounds for revocation of her residence permit (Permesso di soggiorno) and subsequent deportation from the country.
In addition, Bolt typically permanently suspends the accounts of drivers who violate safety standards or make discriminatory remarks, thereby barring them from working for the service throughout Europe.
