Fare beats up taxi driver over smoking ban

A drunk passenger has been arrested for attacking a taxi driver who pointed out that smoking was not permitted.The 48-year-old man ripped off the car’s rear-view mirror and punched the female cab driver into the face when she ordered him to extinguish his cigarette in St. Pölten, Lower Austria, this morning (Fri).The drunk, who has been put in custody after the woman called the police, faces grievous bodily harm charges.Meanwhile, a taxi driver from Salzburg was ordered to go to court after a 54-year-old passenger pressed deprivation of liberty charges for locking him in after he failed to pay up in April.The 51-year-old locked all the car’s doors and drove to the nearest police station when the customer admitted being unable to pay the 39.80-Euro bill. The passenger smashed a window before the driver finally stopped and called the police. The trial continues.