Throw up, pay up, in taxis and cop cars

Puke in a Chicago cab and you’re gonna pay.

Starting July 1, any passenger who throws up in — or even on — a taxi has to cough up an extra 50 bucks. The dough, of course, covers cleanup costs.

Hacks in the Windy City started lobbying for the fee in 2009 after complaining for years about late-night drunks who barfed with abandon. The City Council finally signed off in January.

Austin, Texas, followed suit in February, imposing a $100 fine on any fare who loses his lunch. And Savannah, Ga., home of some of the wildest St. Patrick’s Day celebrations in the country, let cabbies tack on $75 to $150 to the tab of any rider who turns green and spews.

“I had a lady stick her head out of the window and [she] vomited on my cab,” Chicago driver Thaddeus Budzynski told CBS. “And who had to clean it up? I did.”

The two 23-year-olds who allegedly threw up on police cars in New Jersey may want to keep the fines in mind next time. Or the jail time.

Peter Cipollini, from Morristown, and Patrick Allocco, from Jersey City, were seen around 3:40 a.m. running away from two police cars at First and Hudson Streets after leaving behind "large amounts of vomit," according to police reports.

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About Douglas Powell

A former professor of food safety and the publisher of barfblog.com, Powell is passionate about food, has five daughters, and is an OK goaltender in pickup hockey. Download Doug’s CV here. Dr. Douglas Powell editor, barfblog.com retired professor, food safety 3/289 Annerley Rd Annerley, Queensland 4103 dpowell29@gmail.com 61478222221 I am based in Brisbane, Australia, 15 hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time