In Barysau, the bus depot found no violations in the conduct of a conductor who made a schoolgirl get off. The girl’s mother disagrees

A Barysau resident wrote on Threads that her 16-year-old daughter was put off a city bus, No. 3A. According to the woman, the reason was a certificate entitling the girl to concessionary travel, which she had left at home. By her account, the incident happened at around 11:50.

After a check, the bus depot said it found no violations in the conductor's work. The mother says the opposite, and she was not shown the recording the depot refers to.

According to the woman, her daughter was running late for extra classes and, in her haste, left her wallet and the certificate at home.

The mother writes that when the girl showed a photo of her class, the conductor allowed herself remarks such as "they've flooded in from Minsk and ride for free." According to her, the conductor was rude and shoved the schoolgirl. An elderly passenger wanted to pay for the girl, but the conductor refused the money and kept shouting across the whole bus.

In the end the girl got off three stops early and came home frozen and in tears, the mother says. She claims the conductor shouted at her daughter in front of the whole bus and reduced her to tears.

The mother asked the depot's management to talk to staff about communication etiquette.

Barysau bus depot No. 3 checked the report of the incident and reviewed the footage from the surveillance camera. According to management's conclusion, the conductor did not get into a conflict with the passenger, and there was no shove.

The depot stated: "During the conversation the passenger was using a mobile phone and did not react to the conductor's remarks. The check of the conductor's work found no violations of passenger service standards." The depot did not provide the video itself, only screenshots.

The conductor explained that she warned the schoolgirl that travelling without a certificate or a ticket is a violation. According to her, the girl did not have a document entitling her to the concession, and did not have any money on her either. The depot reminded that schoolchildren travel free from 1 September to 30 June only on presentation of the certificate. It also said that a talk was held with the conductor.

The story provoked arguments and heated discussion on social media.