Some San Francisco cabbies are now invoking a little-known article of the SF Municipal Transportation Code that allows them to charge a $100 vomit clean-up fee should one of their late-night drunken passengers have to yack in the backseat.

Hoodline noted one cab company's cartoonish, laminated sign referring to the law, which I suppose is meant as a deterrent to anyone who enters the cab feeling nauseated? But how many drunk, about-to-throw-up individuals do you know who focus long enough to read a sign?

Actually, it's probably more useful after the fact, when the cabbie has to argue with the drunk customer who owes him $100. And, sure, a clean-up fee seems only fair when a cab driver can't very well go pick up anyone else with puke all over the place.

The language of the ordinance says, "Drivers are authorized to collect a cleaning fee of up to $100 from any passenger who permanently stains the interior of the vehicle or who renders the vehicle temporarily unfit for for-hire passengers because of spillage of any substance such that the vehicle must be taken out of service and cleaned."

The cities of Austin and Chicago currently charge $100 clean-up fees for vomiting in cabs, and the party island of Key West, Florida recently instituted a similar $50 charge.

Flickr user Aaron Harmon noted a similar sign with a funny stick-figure illustration in another S.F. cab as far back as March 2013. But, given the ongoing war between traditional cabs and ride-share vehicles, perhaps it's best if cab drivers just whip out these signs as needed, rather than alienating all drunk passengers and implying they are all potential pukers.

[Hoodline]