For nearly a decade, the Taxi TV has been a large part of the New York City taxi riders experience. But those screens are on the way out, after the Taxi & Limousine Commission (TLC) approved a pilot program that will eventually eliminate the TV’s and replace them with sleeker tablets or smartphones for customers.
The newly proposed tablets would have a credit card reader to collect the fare and would also be filled with apps, which would allow the rider to do things such as listen to music, or search dining options. Wi-Fi is also being looked into in order to allow riders to make calls on the tablet.
Verifone, one of the companies that brought Taxi TV to cabs shared that a few of the changes could be available to riders by the end of the year. Four companies will take part, and be limited to 250 cabs each.
“I do believe that technology has improved, that we should explore pilots such as this,” TLC commissioner Edward Gonzales said. “Customers’ preferences for payments and content and things like that change over time.”
Jason Gross, the global head of product and marketing for taxi systems at Verifone, stated, “ What we’re really hoping to do is partner with the Googles, the OpenTables, and the Pandoras of the world and allow the marketplace to determine what consumers want to do.”
Based on feedback from New York commuters, they would welcome the introduction of the tablet or smartphone.
“I can save my battery and just listen to music in the cab,” Tara Little said Saturday, as she waiting for a taxi in Brooklyn.
This advancement in technology would also feature a GPS taxi meter that would calculate the fares, a security camera and also a fingerprint scanner that would act as a shift clock and also a panic button.
“With so many advances in for-hire service tracking and payment, and years of feedback from passengers and drivers about what works and what needs improvement, it’s timely to give both existing and new technology providers an opportunity to test more streamlined systems,” said TLC commissioner Meera Joshi.
The Taxi TV, with 12-hour ad loops, has been a notorious annoyance for riders and drivers since the devices began appearing in 2007. A survey in 2011 found that the Taxi TV was the second worst part of the ride, only after the fare.
By Samantha
YellowCabNYCTaxi.com Staff Writer
I just hope the passengers won’t be able to adjust the volume for their music. I hate it when you get 4 young passengers and the one up front blasts Hot 97 as loud as possible.
There IS A Camera Too…????….Partitions Out Next….???
Who’s PAYING For This..?…Shift Guys..?
We need camera to capture Uber bribing TLC officials. But then again, it’s known.
Too late .that tv already damaged my hearing ability.
I must file law suit against them .I can’t hear anymore.that tv put my nerves to agitated mode .
when I turn the meter on The tv wakes up and can’t hear the passenger.
one day I said where to ?
‘ they just go crazy and telling you,would you please shut off your radio .’
and the time your tell them could you please mute the tv ,they just say can’t hear you what did you say ,
then I say where are going ,?
they respond where the fucking are going ?you missed the turn. then I say what turn ,could you please put tv into mute mode .they say ,I dont have time for this let me out ,I can’t stand this ”jesus cris..
then I say where are you going .then they say never mind I take an other taxi .
ok I go around the block I take same passenger and the senario repeats itself ,the passenger don’t even recognize you.then I say .where to ?,loudly passenger said Iam ….going…to…fucking west 20 st and park ave …north east corner ..
I said to my self is something wrong with me??I drove two blocks then asked her miss your said west and 28 st far left corner and park ave is that correct!!my passenger almost flew out of the cab .she replied! Drive ,driver On park ave strait down and leave me on 23 st .
Park ave closed at 46st and traffic burning every direction..
I said mis! Park av closed and we must take either 5th or lex or 2nd av..
She said Take me toooo 28 st west park ave north east corner gucking idiot..
I said miss can’t hear you could you mute that tv ?
She relied ! I can’t understand why you listen to radio while driving .
I said miss turn tv off or volume down .
She then replied ?why you re taking me to fifth ave .are you fucking moran .?
I said miss no turns on fift ave we have to drive west and go arounf or take 7 ave south .but Iam going to turn the meter off ..after I turned the meter off the tv went into sleep mode and closed windows high ac .then we discoved the house keeper forgot to turn the oxygen for her from cylinder ,the lady had oxygen feeding to her mask ..the tv even confused the housekeeper who dosent know the city well ,she was watching tv and forgot putting the oxygen on.and for me driver couldn’t hear the passenger too and she couldn’t hear me .
I told you the fix was in 2 years ago and I was accused of being an uber. The medallion is never coming back
YellowCab is done, need to end YellowCab concept from NYC. Modern world modern concept require like technology based servic. I am glad that Uber has changed the course of NYC Taxi business.
I think Nissan NV 200, 50% yellowcab has to be wheelchair accessible, consumer complaint against YellowCab Taxi drivers to TLC, GreenCab concept, many changes in licensing, all these are trap of Uber and other App based car service giants. Uber behind the scene worked to these matters in order to kill YellowCab business in NYC. And they are successfull.
No more YellowCab. No more million dollar medallion or 2 shifts in 1 days concept.
Shuber Sam So….Working 16 Hour Days Your Doing Great…Moron
Uber Will Bring Driverless Cars FIRST Chance they Get…..You Will Be on Food Stamps…Enjoy
Driverless car needs to be taken care of everywhere anywhere..driveless cars could become a public bathrooms ,especially for outdated brains.these cars must be equipped with a human emergency actions or suden crush by avoiding an accident in a second,or responding to police flashlight or even resonding to hand waving to avoid hasrdouz actions sometimes people would wave for you in order to avoid an electric poll or massive black hole full of water or responding to wide sized vehicles transporting big heavy materials .sometimes the car has to stop or pull over when an emergency vehicles is behind the car like ambs or cops ..also these cars must respond to freesignal location like tunnels or city or cancret walls..how these cars could adjust for speed depending on pathholes and its size ..these tech is good for trains and path trains and subways .but cars won’t work ..I can block these driverless car just standing in front of it for 10 min .or put some heavy duty type on its sensors .and shift it ..yes sensitive actions can be adjusted by computers like mirror action to be taken seriously when driver wants to make uturn .or kturn.shifting R,D at the edge of a river ,computer will make sure you shift it R,also changing lane with the help of a computer just by giving warnings ,like “watch out you re changing lane ,use signals ,watch car front and left ,control your distance,change when it’s safe ,stay cool,
An other factor if the computer should know and detect if the driver is the owner and has insurance registered or not before start driving to prison or hit&run ..computer has to work on public safety also not only car safty ..what about driver mood and blood pressure monitoring by computer,computer in cars must be working as driver assistance,physically mentaly and keep rules live updated..computer got to remind you of anything concerning the state you are driving in .example ,Attention ,according to nj state regulations on driving while impaired could lead to 12 years in prison and life license suspension ..but to bring a box to drive humans is mot logic and won’t work..humans are hod creators and they are smarter than that box..placing a gum on lazer or xray sensor will put yhat box to sleep or hibernation …hey you can’t replace humans.just impossible..
after yellow cab is gone the city will require uber and it app friends to buy a medallion to oprate in the city, who loose?
I said to a broker why you guys don’t watto uber?? He answered,Uber serve people ,and we can’t stop people take Uber ,we are in a free market as long as you serve anyone without regard to race colore and gender..he said when we talk about money ,people don’t care how much uber make what they care for is getting to their destination .people hir uberdriver because tbey can afford it .he said why they don’t take trains cheaper ,because people are lazy.the government or the city cares more abou the service .then city officials will discuss in secret the future of the company.it’s business he said .and there are many ways to conduct business not only through medallion system.medallion is not from god he said.so we should fight for medallions but we should know our public rights and fight for them .like retirement plan ,high wages,heathcare ,education assistance and so on ,rental assistance for all tai driver in the metropolitan area..this how must compete as drivers not by barking all night ..medallions not god made..we don’t care how companies make money but we care for right.
I said to a broker why you guys don’t veto uber?? He answered,Uber serve people ,and we can’t stop people take Uber ,we are in a free market as long as you serve anyone without regard to race color and gender..he said when we talk about money ,people don’t care how much uber make what they care for is getting to their destination .people hire uberdriver because they can afford it .he said why they don’t take trains cheaper ,because people are lazy.the government or the city cares more about the service .then city officials will discuss in secret the future of the company.it’s business he said .and there are many ways to conduct business not only through medallion system.medallion is not from god he said.yes we should fight for medallions but we should know our public rights and fight for them .like retirement plan ,high wages,heathcare ,education assistance and so on ,rental assistance for all drivers in the metropolitan area..this how we must compete as drivers and not by barking all night ..medallions not god made..we don’t care how companies make money but we care for civil and economical rights.
Uber serve people illegally and unconstitutionally. It cost NYC billions of dollars which is theft.
first of all no one has the right to collect driver money .as long as the driver is self. employed .so driver account must be established that all credit cards must be collected by the driver and not by a broker or uber.the driver will have to pay only and only lease set by regulations .as a driver No one should have access to my money if considered self employed.
Uber rating dosent work..
Some drivers drove more than 15 years and a passenger who dosent know where he is going and being in nyc for the first time would rate that driver one star ..we rate product not humans .and people should rate uber service not drivers ..why threating drivers as machines ,sometime they deactivate the driver is like deactivating a transformer ..this is outragious and won’t work for driver’s future..attention drivers do not sell yourself cheap ..your are self employed no one has the right to apply any rules on your work except the city that regulates the business rules which is the TLC.
Watch the video! https://youtu.be/9DXx_aeSzSE