Taxis With TVs-Not A Bad Way To Travel

by Michele Cheplic | More from this Blogger

15 Dec 2006 03:19 PM

Let's face it; New York City cabs (and their drivers) don't exactly have the world's best reputation. But, that could soon be changing. According to the city's Taxi & Limousine Commission a new generation of taxis could be hitting the streets the Big Apple within two weeks.

The revamped cabs will be sporting TVs, but, they're not just your ordinary monitors, these TVs are designed to help riders pass the time, pay the fare and even find their lost items from bags to umbrellas.

The taxi commission showed off the new and improved cabs to the media yesterday. The updated cabs have been retrofitted with a touch-screen device that lets passengers check news and weather reports, look up restaurant reviews and track their cab's progress on an electronic map.

That tracking system does double duty---promising to make it easier for riders to retrieve things they may have left behind in a city cab. Basically, what the new technology will mean for a person like me is that instead of racking my mind for a medallion number, and trying to remember where and what time I was picked up I will now be able to call a city information line and say where I was dropped off and what I lost. The taxi commission will then work from that to try to find the cab... and hopefully my lost item.

The cabs' other new features include a credit-card reader (a huge bonus for cash strapped riders and the largely cash-only taxi system). With the new system you can even calculate a tip.

According to the Transportation Commissioner, the new features have been in the works since a 2004 fare increase. The taxi commission says it flirted with television in taxis in 2003, but the 515 touch-screens were yanked within months. Mainly because of the onslaught of complaints lodged by disgruntled passengers that bemoaned the inescapable flickering of screens that could be muted but not turned off.

Which brings us to what may be the best part about the additions of the new TVs---you will have the ability to turn them off and ride in silence if you wish.

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Learn more about Michele Cheplic

Michele Cheplic was born and raised in Hilo, Hawaii, but now lives in Wisconsin. Michele graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in Journalism.

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