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For those who live in big cities, the problem of non-native speakers is well known. Sometimes the driver greets you in Russian when the carrier arrives, and when you order something, you often hear “No ponimaju”.
I had to take a car
Reader Laura Lideikytė shares her thoughts on non-Lithuanian operators on the news portal tv3.lt. The girl says that she is often faced with this problem when it is impossible to speak to the taxi driver in Lithuanian or English.
“It just came to our knowledge then. It was that the driver came to pick me up, but through the app I saw that he was not moving at all towards that side of the yard. I call him, he takes it and he says in Russian that he does not understand me” says Laura.
Unable to explain to the driver where she should go, Laura says she ran after his car and tried to find the driver herself.
“I ran around the house, tried to catch him, and he changed locations a few more times. At the end I got into the car and started to tell him how to get out of the yard, but he didn’t listen to me because he just didn’t understand, ”Laura tells her adventures.
According to the girl, the fact that drivers do not communicate with customers is very rude.
“While they live and work in Lithuania, they don’t even know how to say hello in Lithuanian. Not a good day, not a good day. There is absolutely no courtesy or effort to understand the passenger. You sit back, you want to say something, they don’t understand, you open your eyes and you see yourself as an enemy, ”Laura resents.
If you don’t know Lithuanian, you may not get a job
Taxi companies say that taxi drivers who work in companies must speak Lithuanian. This is, for example, the eTaksi requirement, and drivers who do not speak Lithuanian may not get a job at this company.
“Only citizens who are entitled to provide a passenger transport service according to an individual activity certificate in Lithuania work with eTaksi. Foreigners should be interested in the possibilities of getting it. The ability to speak Lithuanian has always been a mandatory criterion for drivers who wish to cooperate with eTaksi. This requirement is also raised by the Law on the State Language of the Republic of Lithuania ”, says Eglė Urbonaitė, Marketing Director of eTaksi.
“We have not received any complaints that passengers cannot communicate with drivers, but the information has actually reached us that there is such a problem on other platforms. And in such a situation, I advise you to contact the passenger transport organizer whose services the passenger used, or the next time you choose another service provider, because in Lithuania all services must be available in Lithuanian ”, he says E. Urbonaitė.
It is true that transporters and taxi drivers are two different concepts. Taxi drivers are usually company employees, and drivers are freely hired, so they may not have a permanent boss.
Transportation company Bolt says that people who want to work as carriers must speak Lithuanian or English.
“Carriers can be people who work according to an individual activity certificate, have 2 years of driving experience and an impeccable reputation. The driver needs to speak Lithuanian or English, ”Andrius Pacevičius, Bolt’s director in Lithuania, tells the news portal tv3.lt.
A. Pacevičius recommends setting the exact destinations because, in his opinion, it can help avoid problems.
“Before calling the car, we recommend marking not only the final but also intermediate travel directions in the app and choosing the payment with the app. The driver will see the exact address and navigate to it. This will help to avoid possible problems “, comments A. Pacevičius.
The language inspection will also make a claim to the carriers
The State Language Inspectorate says that people who work as taxi drivers must speak Lithuanian and customers must be served only in that language. However, so far this rule does not apply to carriers. The inspection says it will do the same with carriers.
“Taxi drivers must speak Lithuanian and drivers must not. The Language Inspectorate is the promoter of the amendment of the State Language Law and the promulgation of requirements that the drivers must also be obliged to speak the state language. Until now, the Government’s resolution does not require it, ”says Donatas Smalinskas, deputy director of the State Language Inspectorate.
D. Smalinskas also adds that taxi companies are inspected.
“Taxi drivers must speak Lithuanian unconditionally. Their employers have a completely different legal relationship. We inspect taxi companies,” says D. Smalinskas.
The requirements where clients must be served in the state language are regulated by the State Language Law. The State Language Inspectorate is responsible for the implementation of this law. People who violate this law can be punished.
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