Digital Dispatch's TLC SmartCab GPS taxi solution

The New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission is currently in the process of mandating a technological update for all yellow cabs -- even if the drivers may not like it. Some of the upgrades are starting to hit the fleet, and the specific tech that is being used has been shown. For the driver, there's the Vector 530 Driver Information Monitor which includes GPS and functionality for automatically logging journeys; and for the passenger there's the iView 8000 Passenger Information Monitor which comes with a large-ish touchscreen monitor that displays a real-time map of the cab's location, fare information, as well as video content such as news. Probably the most useful feature is the ability for a passenger to swipe their credit card on the machine to pay for the fare: that's right, no more fumbling in your pocket for change. The TLC SmartCab setup was designed by Digital Dispatch and should already be in around 200 cabs. By the end of the year, all the cabs in the fleet should be updated and every cab journey will be basked in the blue glow of a GPS enabled status LCD.

[Via Coolhunting]