TLC Moves to Update Taxi Technology

By ULRIK NARCISSE

New York City taxi cabs moved a step closer to pulling the plug on taxi back seat televisions, after commissioners at Thursday’s New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission meeting voted to eventually remove the screens as part of a pilot program.

Many frequent taxi commuters echoed their gripes with the screens years before the recent resolution, saying that the technology was often invasive and repetitive.

“I thought I was the only one who didn’t like Taxi TV,” said TLC commissioner Nona Marino.

TLC commissioners unanimously voted for the gradual removal of the screens.

TLC Policy Adviser for Technology and Innovation Jeff Garber said that in the Taxi Information Monitors were no longer required for core services like cab driver authentication or electronic payment processing, and that their removal from cabs would streamline technology systems and relax some strict taxi specifications.

Commission members also announced programs to explore other app-based technologies, including replacing taxi meters with GPS devices to track distances and fares.

“The public has already shown its willingness to rely on GPS technology through the ubiquitous use of GPS car navigation systems and the popularity of app-based dispatching that uses GPS to calculate fares,” said Garber.

Current taxi hailing apps like Uber and Lyft rely on GPS for everything from locating cabs and passengers to calculating fares. It was not clear from the meeting how the TLC would account for service dead zones like tunnels where the GPS could lose connection, but officials maintained that cabs would still carry a backup fare tracker during the pilot program, while also researching which trackers would be most effective.