31-year-old veteran of the Russian-Ukrainian war Ivan Lebid has become the first tram driver in Ukraine to work with a leg prosthesis. After training at the Lvivelektrotrans ‘Drivers’ School’, he started his first working day and is already carrying passengers on route No. 3 ‘Soborna Square – Aquapark’ in Lviv.
Ivan comes from Siversk in Donetsk region. At the beginning of 2024 he joined the Armed Forces of Ukraine, where he served as a grenadier and infantryman in the 24th Separate Mechanised Brigade named after King Danylo. On 4 May 2025, while carrying out a combat mission in Donetsk region, the soldier was wounded by a mine, as a result of which he lost his leg. After treatment and lengthy rehabilitation, the veteran decided to gain a new profession and try his hand at driving a tram.
He approached the Lvivelektrotrans depot, where he was offered the chance to familiarise himself with the work of electric transport. After his first acquaintance with the tram cab, Ivan was convinced that he would be able to cope with driving despite his prosthesis. Before starting the training, he immediately informed them about his injury but, as he says, his main aim was simply to give it a try, regardless of a possible refusal.
«I came to the depot and found out about the training for electric transport drivers. They suggested I come and have a look at the trams to understand whether I would be able to manage it. I came, sat at the controls, looked everything over and realised that I could do it. Before the training started, I warned them that I had been injured and was using a prosthesis. I wasn’t worried about whether they would hire me because of this or not, I just wanted to try. I was prepared for any answer,» says Ivan Lebid.
At the Lvivelektrotrans Drivers’ School, the veteran trained for three months: two months were devoted to theory and another month to practical driving. All Lviv trams, except for one model, have manual controls, which made the training process easier for Ivan. From now on, on his official first working day, he will complete a further 140 hours together with an instructor, as stipulated by the training programme.
The company’s management emphasises that Ivan’s case is the first in Ukraine where a medical commission has allowed a future tram driver with a prosthetic right leg to undergo training. Lvivelektrotrans stresses that they closely monitored his progress during training and supported him on his way to a new profession.
The company currently has more than 200 vacancies open, and around 40 veterans are already employed. At Lvivelektrotrans, Ivan’s story is seen as an example for other employers, who should create conditions for the employment of veterans, as well as for service personnel themselves who are looking for a new path after leaving the military.
The Lvivelektrotrans Drivers’ School has been operating since 2018. During this time, it has trained 255 tram and trolleybus drivers who have joined Lviv’s urban electric transport team. Trainees are guaranteed official employment, social benefits and work on modernised vehicles.
The company invites anyone interested to train as a tram or trolleybus driver. The courses are free of charge, and during training participants receive a monthly stipend of UAH 10,000. After being formally employed, new drivers receive an additional UAH 10,000.
Lviv’s municipal transport department acknowledges that there is currently a shortage of drivers in public transport. Therefore, together with operators, they are looking for new staff, in particular among demobilised service personnel and people with disabilities caused by the war. Thanks to the renewed fleet, driving trams and buses has become more comfortable, which makes it easier for such employees to adapt. More than 70 veterans are already working on various routes in Lviv and, according to officials, no complaints have been received about their work.
Ivan Lebid urges other veterans not to be afraid of changing profession and to look for themselves in new directions, stressing that despite injuries it is worth continuing an active life and fulfilling one’s potential.
According to Lvivelektrotrans, the average gross salary of an electric transport driver is UAH 45,000–47,000. Depending on grade and experience, the company’s drivers earn from UAH 40,000 to 52,000.
A video about the story of Ivan Lebid and his first working day at the controls of a Lviv tram can be viewed at the following link: https://www.youtube.com/embed/xCrMVRtk0-o?feature=oembed