Amendments to the Law on the State Language are making their way through the Lithuanian parliament Seimas. They stipulate that those who do not work under an employment contract will also have to speak Lithuanian. This is especially relevant for drivers working via ride-hailing apps.
The amendments are not aimed only at self-employed drivers, according to the initiator Raimundas Lopata, MP of the Liberal Movement party.
“If we give a two-year transition period to Ukrainians working in the services sector to learn the Lithuanian language, there must be some mechanism,” he said.
In his words, as far as the non-Lithuanian-speaking drivers are concerned, there are usually two issues that cannot be communicated: the app showing the wrong destination and the passenger needing help.
Audrius Valotka, the head of the State Language Inspectorate, noted that the Law on the State Language was adopted in 1995 and is, therefore, outdated.
“At that time, employment relations were based on an employment contract, and there were no other forms,” he said. “If the law is interpreted accurately, it does not apply in cases where there is no employment contract between the employer and the employee. As self-employed persons, drivers are not obliged to communicate with their customers in the national language, and they take advantage of this.”
If the law is adopted, Bolt and other ride-hailing apps will have to require foreign drivers to pass a Lithuanian language exam at the A2 level.
Little knowledge is enough
Dalius Rudokas, Chairman of the Board of the Association of Couriers and Drivers, said he welcomes the amendments.
“We have already spoken with some members of the Seimas about the necessity to introduce some changes [...]. Perhaps we could talk about requesting a Lithuanian-speaking driver. If the passengers wish, they could apply a certain filter on the app,” he told LRT.lt.
According to him, foreigners who do not speak Lithuanian and want to continue their activities will learn the language.
“You just have to know the basics: turn left, turn right, stop, and so on. A little knowledge of Lithuanian is enough to fully meet the expectations of the passengers and to avoid the problems that may arise now,” he said.
“The introduction of a Lithuanian language requirement will sort out those people who want to work and stay here. They will put in more effort and learn [the language] because they are probably willing to adapt to both the driving and the communication culture,” Rudokas added.
Little verbal communication
The discussion about the requirements for self-employed drivers is a positive thing, according to Andrius Pacevičius, head of Bolt Lithuania.
“So far, we have actively cooperated with the authorities implementing these requirements. The discussion has moved to the Seimas, so we are ready to share our insights and make proposals to lawmakers,” he said.
He stressed, however, that the Bolt app almost eliminates the need for verbal contact, as the route, price, and destination are all specified before the journey is booked.
“But if the need arises during the journey, dialogue is possible through the app, which has an automatic translation option. The platform is open to different nationalities,” Pacevičius said.
He also noted that additional regulation could affect the ride-hailing service – if there were fewer drivers, the waiting time and the price would increase.
According to Pacevičius, the majority of foreign Bolt drivers work in Vilnius, and around 30 percent of them are Ukrainians.
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