It can happen that you drink a bit too much or have had too much to drink. Sometimes stomach contents find their way up and out, so to speak. That’s fine, as long as there’s a toilet nearby. But what happens if I empty my stomach contents in a taxi as a customer?
First of all: Fortunately, this doesn’t happen very often to Taxi 40100 customers. Last year, there were 143 guests who either didn’t want to or couldn’t keep their food down. But when it does happen, it becomes unpleasant for both parties: The driver has to take the vehicle for professional cleaning, which costs time and money. And for the customer, there’s a rude awakening at the latest the next day when they receive the bill.
Legally, the situation is as follows: Taxi drivers have an obligation to transport passengers, so they cannot refuse customers. However, there are—as always and everywhere—exceptions. According to Section 12 of the Vienna Provincial Operating Regulations, there is no obligation to transport if the driver believes that the customer may not treat the vehicle “carefully,” if the customer smokes, or if the driver has other safety concerns.
Very often, drivers have compassion for intoxicated passengers (or are not aware of the condition the customers are in) and take them to their destination. However, understanding ends when the customer vomits in the taxi. Then it gets really messy, in the truest sense of the word. The customer must not only pay the costs for the ride, but also cover the costs for professional cleaning of the taxi.
What does professional cleaning cost?
The larger the vehicle, the more expensive the cleaning. And: The more areas of the vehicle are affected, the more expensive it becomes. If it just made it down to the window and only part of the exterior of the car is affected, an increased tip for the driver (ha, that was a good one…tip…) will probably suffice. If seat upholstery, interior windows, etc. are affected—image, get out of my head—prices start at around 230 euros, depending on the provider. However, this price does not yet cover the fact that the driver has a loss of income during the cleaning—and can claim this from the customer. If, for example, the seat upholstery needs to be cleaned, it takes a day for it to dry. What do we learn from this? As one of our drivers recently put it so aptly: “That’s expensive, very expensive. And you can’t even pay for the emotional support I need afterwards. So don’t do it.”
