Taxi driver refuses Roma, blogger responds
A conflict between two Yekaterinburg bloggers has erupted on social media. Taxi driver Rustam shares his workday experiences and films trips on his account. Recently, he posted a video showing how he refused to transport Roma from the city center to Shakespeare Street, where their community lives.
«We»re heading to Shakespeare. Oh, I sense something fun is coming, because Shakespeare — what is it? It«s our Gypsy settlement. »Gypsy« — that»s the key word. And only then the word «settlement.» I can guarantee 100% the fare will be paid in cash. Roma rarely pay by card, really very rarely. If everything is fine [payment is cashless], we«ll take them. The main thing — hide your phone,» the driver says.
After that, the driver pulls up to the pickup point, but seeing in the app that payment is cash, he immediately drives off saying, «I»m not taking you, bro.« In response, Rustam hears profanity, then receives a call from angry passengers who again curse at him.
The Roma man«s response
That was the content of the first video, which was commented on by Maxim Ditsa, a Roma man from Yekaterinburg, restaurateur, and blogger.
«Here»s a vivid example of how Roma are treated — and only because you«re Roma. I»ve faced this all my life. This time, the reason for humiliation was cash payment. What do you think turned out to be abnormal? Right. For a taxi driver, Roma are abnormal,« Maxim said indignantly.
The blogger also commented on the passengers cursing at the driver who refused to take them.
«Yes, perhaps the guys should have watched their language. But I think I would likely have reacted the same way, because in 2026 a taxi driver refuses you just because you»re Roma. What other nationalities do you refuse? Where can I see this list? And yes, I also live in the same settlement. I don«t want my parents or my children to be refused taxi service based on ethnicity,» Maxim noted.
He told E1.RU that this is not the first such case, and also shared a screenshot where a driver also refused to go to Shakespeare Street.
Why the driver refused
It should be noted that the driver had a second video in his profile where he shared the story of why he now refuses Roma.
«I have nothing against Roma — but no, I»ve already had a bitter experience. Once, a long time ago, I drove similar Roma, and the fare was also cash. They get in and say, «Got change for five thousand?» I say, «No.» They go, «Fine, we»ll get change somewhere.« We stopped, changed the money, and got to the destination. When it»s time to pay, he says, «Give a discount, bro!» I say, «Are we at a market or what? What discount?»
370 rubles ($4) was too expensive for them. They said, «Okay, then we won»t pay anything at all.« I told them to get out. Then some kid runs up to my car and offers to transfer the payment. While I was dictating my number, they started distracting me. One, two, three open the door. While I was distracted, the kid had already rifled through my entire car. There were 3,500 rubles ($39) in the armrest. In the end, no one paid me anything, of course, but I got the money back anyway. I had to turn to acquaintances. Better to avoid such situations,» the driver explained.
We asked the taxi driver to comment on his behavior, but he did not respond to E1.RU correspondent«s messages. If we manage to reach Rustam, we will update the publication.
The taxi aggregator«s press service declined to comment.
Maxim Ditsa is a Roma man from the settlement in VIZ, living at the intersection of two cultures. He tries to stay connected to his roots but builds his life by his own rules. Like many Roma, he became a father at 14 and a grandfather at 29, yet he runs an unusual business by camp standards — managing two bars in central Yekaterinburg. Recently, he became a musician. The young man shared his story with E1.RU.
In his blog, Maxim humorously plays on stereotypes about Roma. He admits there has been less hate than expected: self-irony disarms the audience. So the restaurateur jokes about horses and gold teeth himself.
* The social network is banned in the Russian Federation.
