People without an arm or leg are allowed to drive buses in Russia

In Russia, people without one arm or leg are allowed to drive buses. The Russian government has relaxed the medical restrictions for driving buses, trams, trolleybuses and trucks.

This is stated in the relevant amendment signed by Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin and published on the official legal information portal on August 21.

According to the previous regulation, the absence of an arm or leg, as well as a paw or a palm, and their deformation to the extent that seriously complicates movement were considered medical restrictions for driving vehicles of categories C, CE, D, DE, as well as trams and trolleybuses.

In the new regulation, these items have been removed from the list. Now, the absence of both arms or both paws, or a deformation that seriously complicates the movement of the paws, remains a condition that prevents driving these vehicles.

This change was adopted at a time when the issue of providing employment to participants in the war in Ukraine is being discussed in Russia.

On August 10, the head of the Republic of Buryatia, Alexei Sidenov, asked Vladimir Putin to allow servicemen who were wounded in the war with an arm or leg to work as bus and truck drivers. He said that modern rehabilitation equipment and automation technologies for transport management allow them to drive despite some injuries.

On August 19, Putin also touched upon the issue of returning war veterans to the country and providing them with jobs. The Russian president said that it is necessary to prepare for this process in advance.

According to the current regulations in Russia, absolute contraindications to driving a vehicle, medical conditions that allow driving under special conditions, and restrictions on driving certain categories of transport are established separately by the government. In some cases, the use of a car is allowed only with an automatic transmission or special controls.