A taxi driver in Taiyuan, Shanxi province, has been hit with the maximum administrative penalty for verbally abusing a university student passenger during a short-distance ride, the city's transport law enforcement authority announced on May 8.

The case came to public attention on the night of May 6, when a netizen posted a four-minute audio recording of a Taiyuan taxi driver unleashing a tirade on a passenger.

In the recording, the driver complained: "You usually take ride-hailing services, don't you? On holidays, when the taxis are right in front of you, you don't take them. Now that you can't get a ride-hailing car at this hour, you remember to look for a taxi."

The poster said the driver started berating the passenger as soon as he got in and mentioned he was a university student.

According to a notice from the Taiyuan Municipal Transport Comprehensive Administrative Law Enforcement Team, the team launched an investigation immediately after the case went viral.

The driver, surnamed Liu, became frustrated after waiting a long time for a customer and being assigned a short-distance order, and proceeded to make inappropriate remarks during the ride, the notice said.

The team said the driver's poor attitude gave the passenger an extremely negative travel experience and seriously damaged the image of the taxi industry.

Based on Taiyuan's taxi service quality credit assessment scheme and related regulations, authorities deducted 20 points from the driver's record, temporarily revoked the driver's certificate and operating vehicle, and imposed the maximum administrative penalty allowed.

The head of the taxi company involved was also summoned for a formal talk and urged to strictly fulfill management responsibilities.

Authorities encouraged residents and visitors who encounter transport-related violations to call the 12345 government service hotline, pledging to tighten taxi operations oversight and safeguard the public's right to a smooth travel experience.