San Francisco gets interactive taxis
posted Apr 8th 2005 9:58AM
200 taxi cabs in San Francisco are now being outfitted with touch screen systems that will provide passengers with
restaurant listings, movie showings, news, sports scores and, of course, plenty of advertising. The systems from
Interactive Taxi Co. were first rolled out in NYC during a one year experiment that ended in August 2003 (apparently no
one like having a screen blare at them). Wireless access is provided by Verizon's cellular network with technology from
PeerDirect to permit continued access even when the cab is in a cellular dead zone. But it doesn't look like you
can just browse the full web with the devices, as access is limited to "specialized" content. If the connection's
already there, why not just turn each cab into a rolling WiFi hotspot so we can use our own, less limited devices? We
know it's a little unrealistic, but there are cabs
in Australia that offer this.
[Via Near Near Future]
I actually had a job interview with this company (for their Chicago offices). Its not actually a wireless internet connection, but instead a PC with a cell card that dials their servers every few minutes to update itself. Most of the information is stored on the computer and is displayed through a Flash application (with HUGE ads). Not really as cool as I thought it would be, and the ads are really annoying. Of course, when I get into a cab, i usually know what restaraunt/movie theater I'm going to. It seems like this technology is aimed at giving tourists a vague idea of where to go (so they don't feel obligated to make small talk with the cab driver).
I live in Chicago, and we have some of those here. The first time I saw one I was (naturally, geekily) curious and delighted. That lasted exactly 1/2 of my 4-minute cab ride; then I looked for (and mercifully found) that there's a "mute" button, so you can stop the incessant blaring.
It's interesting. By Chicago law, cab drivers are prohibited from talking on cell phones, and the passenger can request (and the cabbie must comply) that the radio be turned down or off. But these screens are louder and more annoying than any radio or conversation I've been forced to endure, and while the cabbie turning the radio off lasts the entire duration of my cab ride, the mute button on these things times out after about 60 seconds.
Nice thought. In reality - yyeuch.
I've been in several Chicago cabs with this installed. There's a "mute" button that turns it off for about five minutes but then it powers itself back up and plays some more animated ads. Irritating. Uncomfortable to use. Probably a bad business model. If you actually use it then at least the Cabbie finally knows for sure when he's got a fare that won't know the difference between the shortest route and the one that goes through Sheboygan on the way from the loop to the lake.
Yeah, interactive taxis -- that's cool -- but Interactive Taxi, Co. is a division of Targeted Media Partners, an advertising firm. I work for a syndicated television show and one of our stations started an ad "buy" in their taxis in one of their larger cities. If you check out their website, they provide all kinds of crazy demographic info on how most riders have college degrees, and an average ride lasts over 10 minutes, etc. These screens are a means to deliver advertising, not interactive content.
I live in Boston, I've been in several cabs with this and they look like they've been there for some time. I have no idea how new this technology is, but it appears to have been in Bean town for a while.
I operate a taxicab in San Francisco and will never install something like this into my cab.
Just think about sitting with your ear 5 day a week, 12 hours a day next to some talking device.
This is a serious health and safety issue. And don't think that the driver get's a dime from the revenue.
Yes, I take orders on my cellphone as I do on my two-way radio.
Talking to my customers seams to be out of fashion. In daytime every customer hangs on the cellphone.
It's allready hard to find a good comercial free radio station, how about comercial free taxis? For the safety and freedom of passanger and driver.
It would be nice if it has a GPS (global positioning system) map to make sure your cab driver was bringing you on the most sensible route!