Bolt taxi driver calls passenger "racist" after she asked him to turn down loud Russian music

A Bolt ride-hailing passenger has described what she called a humiliating experience during a recent trip in Latvia. Writing on social media, the woman said the driver was playing loud Russian pop music, and she asked him to turn it off.

According to her account, the driver responded by calling her a racist and stating that he could do whatever he wanted in his own car, despite it displaying the Bolt logo. The conflict did not end there — the driver reportedly stopped the car, put her suitcase out on the street, and refused to continue the trip, even though she had already paid for the ride.

Bolt refunds part of the fare

After contacting Bolt's support service, the woman received a refund of three euros for the trip.

Debate over language and volume

The story sparked a broader discussion online. Some commenters sympathized with the driver's perspective, saying they too would object to loud music they personally disliked, regardless of its language. Others argued that the real issue was likely the volume rather than the language of the music, suggesting that drivers and passengers should find a compromise, such as lowering the volume. Some commenters called for such incidents to be filmed.

The case has reignited discussion in Latvia about the language used in customer service settings and how speakers of different languages coexist when receiving public services.