A public bus driver is facing disciplinary action after he tried to throw a top Russian programmer with cerebral palsy, who was even featured in a Forbes list, out in the rain.

Ivan Bakaidov, 21, who recently featured on the Forbes list of the most promising Russians under the age of 30, said the incident took place on a bus in the city of Saint Petersburg.

The IT specialist said on Facebook that he often uses public transport and never had a problem before.

However, he said a driver tried to eject him on a city bus recently, shouting: “Get out, I won’t take you.”

The driver then said to a passenger who entered before Bakaidov: “Why did you bring him with you?”

The stunned passenger did not respond, according to Bakaidov.

After travelling around 500 metres, the driver stopped the bus and allegedly tried to eject Bakaidov at a set of traffic lights in the pouring rain.

According to the programmer, a male passenger walked up from the back seat and asked the driver why he was “fixated on a disabled person” and insisted that he return to doing his job, which the driver reluctantly did.

Bakaidov said the man then returned to his seat with a “tear in his eye” and covered his face with his hands and he said he had mouthed ‘thank you’ to the kind passenger.

Although Bakaidov did not have to pay a fare due to his disability bus pass, he said he does not believe this was the reason for the driver’s rudeness, adding that it seemed to be just about his appearance.

The programmer wrote: “Never attack someone who, for one reason or another, cannot answer you. It’s like hitting a defenceless person. And I constantly live with this fear of being in a situation I cannot respond to.”

Bakaidov’s story was spotted by the Saint Petersburg Transportation Committee who apologised to him.

A spokesperson said in a statement: “We consider such behaviour towards passengers completely unacceptable, especially with regards to socially vulnerable groups. On behalf of the Saint Petersburg Transportation Committee and the local authorities, we apologise to Ivan Bakaidov.”

It is unclear if the driver has been punished by the authorities for his alleged discrimination.

According to local media, Bakaidov creates computer programmes for disabled people with musculoskeletal system and central nervous system problems to communicate by eye movement. He was also included on the Forbes list of the most promising Russians under the age of 30,