In Dnipro, a passenger insulted a taxi driver for refusing to speak Russian: the language ombudsman intervened
7 November 15:18
In Dnipro, a woman behaved aggressively toward a taxi driver who refused to switch from Ukrainian to Russian while communicating with her. The language ombudsman emphasized that taxi drivers and any other means of transportation are not obliged to use a language other than the state language.
According to "Komersant Ukrainian", this was stated by the Commissioner for the Protection of the State Language Olena Ivanovska, commenting on an incident that occurred recently in Dnipro.
Thus, it is noted that the passenger behaved aggressively towards the taxi driver, who spoke to her in Ukrainian and refused to switch to Russian. The woman allowed herself to make offensive remarks, demonstrating a dismissive attitude towards the state language.
The language of passenger service is Ukrainian
According to Ivanovska, Article 36 of the Law of Ukraine “On Ensuring the Functioning of the Ukrainian Language as the State Language” states that Ukrainian is the language of service for passengers in all types of passenger transport.
She noted that only at the request of a passenger can individual service be provided in another language if it is acceptable to both parties. This rule applies not only to transportation but also to the entire service sector. In addition, the Constitutional Court of Ukraine has recognized that a citizen of Ukraine is not obliged to speak a language other than the state language.
The Commissioner thanked the taxi driver from Dnipro for his strict compliance with the language law, linguistic resilience and unwavering civic position.
We are strong when we act together and support those who strictly comply with the law and maintain linguistic stability,” she said.
As a reminder, a moratorium on the public use of Russian-language cultural products was imposed in Dnipro at the request of the Commissioner for the Protection of the State Language and the city’s community.
