$50 fee for vomiting in taxi ‘launches’ July 1

Visitors to Chicago should remember to pack an iron stomach this summer. Starting July 1, losing your lunch in a Chicago taxi will cost passengers $50. Similar “vomit charges” were instituted this year in Austin, Texas and Savannah, Ga.

The drivers aren’t getting off easy either. The fee, which drivers began lobbying for in 2009, is part of a host of new regulations affecting Chicago hacks. A 2011 Tribune investigation found Cook County judges often dismissed citations issued to taxi drivers, even for repeat and dangerous offenders. As a result, new regulations restricting drivers to a 12-hour work day (excluding breaks) and closely monitoring driver tickets go into effect early next year.