In Seoul, In-Taxi Vomiting Will Cost You

If you find yourself in a taxi in South Korea with an overriding impulse to vomit, you’ll want to consider the price of succumbing to the urge: 150,000 won (about $138).

That’s the fine agreed to by the city of Seoul and two organizations representing the interests of professional taxi drivers.

According to coverage of the story in Stars and Stripes, a survey conducted by the Seoul Taxi Association found that 42.5 percent of the complaints filed by its drivers concerned passengers’ vomiting in their cabs. An official with the Seoul Private Taxi Association described the drivers’ predicament thusly: “Taxi drivers clean over and over again, but the vomit smell lasts so long that often they can’t drive the taxi again the next day.”

The fine, which takes effect on February 1, is designed to cover the cost of cleaning and to offset any operating losses drivers might incur from taking their taxis out of service.

So if you’re feeling queasy in Seoul, wait until you’re out of the cab to heave. Better to spend the $138 you’ll save on more beers and soju.

This article originally appeared on FrequentFlier.com.