Taxis allowed to charge $75 vomit fee

    1 of 1 2 of 1

      If you've been drinking too much and end up chundering in a cab this weekend, prepare to open your wallet.

      That's because the Passenger Transportation Board has approved a new $75 vomit fee as part of its standard rules for taxicabs.

      The new regulation, which was approved on July 16, states: "Passengers who soil or damage the interior of a vehicle with bodily fluids or solids may be required by driver or taxi company to pay a clean-up fee of $75 in addition to the meter rate or any other rate."

      That means the $75 surcharge can also be imposed on those who urinate or defecate, too.

      The president of the Vancouver Taxi Association, Carolyn Bauer, told CBC News that it can take two hours to clean up a cab after someone has vomited.

      "It does happen a fair amount on Friday and Saturday evenings from the downtown district," Bauer told CBC.

      The vomit fee is even higher for some limousine companies.

      That's because in 2008, the Passenger Transportation Board approved an application by R.J.K.'s Limousine in Penticton to impose a $250 fee for every passenger who vomits inside one of the company's cars.

      Comments