SAN DIEGO—Body odour is among 52 criteria that officials at San Diego International Airport use to judge taxi drivers. Taxi drivers say that smacks of prejudice and discrimination.

For years, inspectors with the San Diego Regional Airport Authority run down their checklist for each cabbie: proof of insurance, functioning windshield wipers, adequate tire treads, good brakes. Drivers are graded pass, fail or needs fixing.

Anyone who flunks the smell test is told to change before picking up another customer.

Leaders of the United Taxi Workers of San Diego union say the litmus perpetuates a stereotype that predominantly foreign-born taxi drivers smell bad. A 2013 survey of 331 drivers by San Diego State University and Center on Policy Initiatives found 94 per cent were immigrants and 65 per cent were from East Africa.

Drivers wonder how inspectors determine who reeks. Driver Abel Seifu, 36, from Ethiopia, suspects they sniff inconspicuously during friendly conversations in the staging area. Airport authority spokeswoman Rebecca Bloomfield said there is “no standard process” to testing.

Others drivers question how inspectors distinguish between them and their cars. The checklist has a separate item for a vehicle’s “foul interior odours,” which Bloomfield says may include gasoline, vomit or mildew.

“If they want to bring their smell detector, they can use it to test the customers and the drivers,” said driver Negus Gebrenarian, 39, from Ethiopia.

He, like other drivers, said the stench is just as likely to come from the back seat as it is from the front.

The airport authority says it is enforcing a policy of the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System, which prohibits foul-smelling drivers and promotes regular bathing.

“Taxi drivers are often the first impression that travellers receive when arriving into San Diego and we want to encourage a positive experience,” Bloomfield said. Only about three drivers fail to get a passing grade each year.

Reaction from travellers arriving in San Diego this week was mixed. Sue Beneventi, 70, thought cabbies are getting picked on.

“If you’re going to say cab drivers, shouldn’t you also say waitresses and anyone else who deals with the public?” she said.

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Daniel Johnson, an 18-year-old marine, said it’s fair to grade on body odour, especially considering the $70 fare to get to his base. He has felt trapped in smelly cabs in other cities.

“The smell puts a sour expression on your face and you’re thinking ‘I just don’t want to be in here,’” he said.