Called Passport “Garbage” – Must Pay 50,000 for Discrimination

A bus driver in Stockholm had opinions about a Ukrainian woman’s passport. Now the employer has to pay tens of thousands of kronor in compensation for discrimination.

Four years ago, Region Stockholm decided that Ukrainians can use their passports as tickets on public transport.

“This decision is part of an act of solidarity that is being made jointly by cities, regions, and transport companies across Europe. The aim is to support people now fleeing Ukraine and to facilitate their journeys to safety from the Russian invasion,” SL announced in March 2022.

When the woman boarded a bus in Stockholm in the autumn of 2024, she showed her Ukrainian passport to the driver, who is said to have started speaking Russian with her.

“This is not a passport, this is garbage,” the driver allegedly said, according to the report.

Region Stockholm claims that the situation was a misunderstanding and that the driver only commented that the passport was worn and encouraged the woman to get a new one. However, the passport was reportedly not in poor condition, and therefore the Equality Ombudsman (DO) considers the statement to be harassment related to the woman’s ethnic background.

50,000 kronor

The Equality Ombudsman also believes that the driver must have understood that his comments would be perceived as offensive to the woman based on her origin.

“As a passenger on public transport, one should not be subjected to discrimination and offensive remarks about one’s origin by drivers or other staff. That should be a given, and it is the region’s responsibility to ensure this does not happen,” says Mira-Liv Atie, legal counsel at the Equality Ombudsman’s legal unit.

Region Stockholm must now pay 50,000 kronor to the Ukrainian woman.