Despite
cries of privacy invasion from the city's many drivers, interactive entertainment / advertising / navigation platforms are still being rolled out in New York's 13,000+ cabs, with major player TaxiTech's eTaxi solution the latest to receive approval from the NYC Taxi and Limousine Commission. One of four companies certified by the TLC to fill a
mandate requiring these rigs in all cabs by October, TaxiTech has teamed up with hardware partners Apriva, Ingenico, and Grey Island Systems to offer a very polished looking setup centered around a 15-inch touchscreen capable of delivering a whole slew of valuable infoswag. (Click
here to check out a video of the eTaxi interface). Like
Digital Dispatch's SmartCab system before it, eTaxi gives passengers the ability to track their route in real time (no more pricey "shortcuts" for unsuspecting tourists), kick back to some ad-supported video or music content, bone up on historical info about the city, and even pay their fare with a credit card, tacking on a pre-calculated tip with the push of a finger. Sounds pretty convenient to us; let's just hope we don't have to start eating part of the multi-thousand dollar per car annual fee it's costing cab companies to install these luxuries.
posted Jun 12th 2007 11:57AM
Watch, I'm psychic. 2/3 of the comments on this article will be about the girl.
OK, so I was wrong. I guess my delusion of grandeur about being psychic was too good to be true.
Yay, more ads!
^^ Yea, seriously. Go to the big city, get pummeled into the ground by advertising. Try to catch a cab... get pummeled by more ads. Oh NYC.
I think I'm the only one, who does not love the big city.
"I think I'm the only one, who does not love the big city."
Not at all... I live here (there?) and there's a really big movement of like... 30-35 year olds who grew up in NY in the 80s and 90s and are nostalgic for the gritty, edgy city of those times.
New York is quickly becoming LA... which sucks.
Hell the cover story on the latest issue of Time Out New York is entitled "This Hipster Must Die: How to bring back New York cool."
I highly recommend listening to the new LCD Soundsystem song "New York I Love You (But You're Bringing Me Down.)"
It's a fantastic example of... well... what I just said.
I was in a taxi with this a couple years ago when they first started outfitting cabs with these screens. I had to look away from the screen for the entire ride; it made me so nauseous. I hope there's an option to turn it off.
you sure you werent just sensing open wifi networks with your brain powers? I've heard that those 802.11's are hazardous to your health!
They rolled out a system similar to this in Philly last year i think. Except the touch screen and nav info are for the drivers (who dont use it) but you can pay with a credit card or paypass/express pay...
hopefully they make it so that cabbies cant pretend that their card swipey things are broken to avoid having to wait two weeks to get paid... I actually had a cabbie demand that I go to an ATM and take out cash to pay him because my fare would have only been like 6 dollars.
yet another surface for assholes to scrawl graffiti on.
Your are so right these thing are going to get spit on, keyed, scraped, kicked, punch, God knows what else. They have had these before and thats what happened
First off, how can this system POSSIBLY cost on the order of $2500 per year (or more)? For $1000 you could easily get a 17" touchscreen LCD, GPS antenna/receiver, and a good enough system to run what appears to be rudimentary games & ads. Hell - double the price, and you're STILL below the annual cost of this!
Also, why should the cabbies have to pay? I mean, I REALLY hope they are paying the cab drivers back for the advertising space.
I live in NYC and was in one of these cabs. They are actually pretty convenient if you are like me and like to pay with a credit card. The weird thing about it is that after you pay, there is a spot for tip that has a 15%, 20%, and 25% option for tip. 15% to a cab driver is actually a lot more than most people tip. There is the option to type in your own tip amount but it takes time and it already takes longer to do the whole credit card process. Cab drivers really shouldnt complain bc they will probably end up getting more money from lazy people who dont take the time to type in their own tip amount.
I always tip my cab driver well... I consider it a "thank you for not raping and murdering me" convenience charge...
Bone Collector anyone?
So...you pay just because they don't commit terrible crimes to/at/? you?
Meant to add: Where's my money? (Now accepting all major credit cards, cash, check(with proper I.D.))
I lived on the most murderific street in Philadelphia for three months (out of necessity and desperation)...
... so yes
"let's just hope we don't have to start eating part of the multi-thousand dollar per car annual fee it's costing cab companies to install these luxuries."
Yeah, that thinking is about as wishful as hoping cab fares will go down when the entire fleet goes "green" in a couple of years. Since, you know, they'd (ostensibly) be paying less for gas.
The new taxis will also be able to travel in hyperspace and through time,as shown in the photo.
Yeah man... the real plan is actually to outfit all current cabs with a Flux Capacitor and a Mr. Fusion... It's too bad that not even Billionaire Bloomberg can bring back the DeLorean
Wow... no comments about the girl. I'm amazed......
It's not a girl. Are you nuts? It's NYC, he's cross dressed.
This is a scam, all drivers are gonna be stuck with paying for this system and they'll get no reward for it.
I saw one in a friends' cab and he was telling me that 90% of the time it was broken, when he tried to show me the screen was not calibrated and the driver doesn't have any access to fix it so he has to waste his time and schedule to get it fixed.
Of course, those companies will make a pretty penny on the backs of immigrant drivers.
You have never driven a cab in NYC if you think a good way to make money is by taking people the long way, that is nonsense since the fares from the airport are mostly fixed.
seems pretty cool
NYC locals might remember there was a major fare hike 3 years ago. The money from that hike went to the fleet owners, and this technology enhancement was financed by that agreement. Its taken this long to develop and test the technology.
edit: (the recent fare hike for waiting time went entirely to the drivers so they dont loose money -and freak out- when they are in traffic)
This is some good tech! I've been looking into for some time now for my limo service.