Spitting Taxi Drivers and Cursing Residents

January was a bad month for Shanghai's taxi-drivers. In an effort to improve manners ahead of Shanghai's 2010 World Expo, the government is targeting two of the drivers' favorite pastimes: spitting and swearing. Spitting out of taxi windows is now forbidden, but thanks to 45,000 paper “spit bags” issued to taxi-drivers by health officials, spitting inside taxis will be ok. The government says the plan aims to “persuade the drivers not to spit in the presence of passengers”. That's nice. I really look forward to riding around in taxis with bags of spit hanging like IVs next to the drivers.

The government is considering a law to fine residents who swear in public. According to one official, the law would not only improve Shanghai’s image but also make it safer because “dirty words often lead to fights”. A spokesman for Shanghai's Civilization Affairs Office said the measure might not be passed; even if it was, it is unclear how it would be enforced.