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Apple In The Big Apple: Taxi iPad Pilot Program Gets Greenlight
By
Garth Johnston
Published Mar 1, 2012
Modified Mar 1, 2012
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By
Garth Johnston
Published Mar 1, 2012
Modified Mar 1, 2012
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New York City's taxis are changing left and right! Not only are the lights atop cabs getting simplified but, as we predicted, the TLC has approved a pilot program to replace some of those annoying Taxi TVs with iPads equipped with credit card readers from Square (a San Francisco based company from one of the guys behind Twitter). But will they have Angry Birds pre-installed?
The pilot test will commence in a few weeks in 30 of the 13,000 cabs on the streets—so if you see one, take a picture! At least for the pilot, "the $350 Square package would include an iPad encased in a protective covering that is bolted to the back of the front seat, as well as a dashboard mounted iPhone allowing passengers to communicate with drivers." How secure the iPad is has been a point of concern for some, who point out that cab drivers have been shot for things far less expensive than Apple's flagship gadget.
The pilot does have two big perks though: for riders, there is the lack of annoying ad-filled videos greeting you upon entering and for drivers there is the much cheaper credit card fees they'll have to pay for each transaction. There is one big downside for riders though: "Officials said that drivers involved in the pilot program will be exempted from rules that forbid them from using cellphones."
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Garth Johnston
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