A DRIVER TRIED TO DEBUS A PROGRAMMER INCLUDED IN THE FORBES LIST FROM MINIBUS IN ST. PETERSBURG

22-year-old Ivan Bakaidov, who is included in the rating of the most promising Russians under 30, faced infringement of the rights of citizens with disabilities.  The driver tried to get him out of the minibus in a downpour - onlY one passenger stood up for Bakaidov and helped him.

Ivan Bakaidov told about the incident on his Facebook. He noted that he uses public transport quite often, but this time the minibus driver opened the door and said that Bakaidov had to leave the salon because of his disability. The guy said that he was not going to get off the bus, because it was raining outside, but the driver did not close the door and stood in the middle of the road, showing that he would not go anywhere. Because of his disease, Bakaidov could not answer the driver.

As a result, a man from the back seats got up and stood up for Bakaidov - the driver agreed to go. The programmer himself added that the driver did not want to see him on the bus, because he believed that Bakaidov did not understand where he was going and was not able to tell him when to get off.

The Transport Committee of St. Petersburg has apologized for the incident.

The transport company also contacted Bakaidov, saying that they had checked the records and asked the driver for details - as a result, the driver was fired. What is more, the programmer was asked to meet with the director of the company for a personal apology and possible future cooperation.

Ivan Bakaidov is a self-taught programmer, who suffers from cerebral palsy and speech impairment. Bakaidov is the creator of the LINKa program, which helps people with speech and motor problems. He also developed the Whatsaidhere translation bot. Previously, Ivan Bakaidov used a wheelchair, but now he can walk short distances himself.