If you’re in a Cedar Rapids cab, keep the cigarettes in your pocket. Last night, the Cedar Rapids City Council unanimously passed an ordinance which bans smoking in limousines and taxis. Those caught lighting up face a 100-dollar fine and 30 days in jail — and the cab driver would get the same punishment. Cedar Rapids Safety Commissioner David Zahn says they don’t expect cabbies to become cigarette cops.Byron Hood owns his own taxi service in Cedar Rapids and he says the cabbies shouldn’t be subjected to a fine. He says that’s totally wrong, as the person who’s smoking should be penalized.Hood claims 80 percent of the passengers in his cabs are smokers. Zahn says the city has the authority to enforce the ordinance because the city contracts with local cab companies to supplement its bus service.
