Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Turning Off The TV in Taxis
By
Jen Chung
Published Aug 28, 2003
Modified Mar 6, 2008
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Jen Chung
Published Aug 28, 2003
Modified Mar 6, 2008
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Whether you felt they were cool or an annoyance, the city decided to cancel the TV in city taxis program after barely a year. Initially compelled to install the TVs for their potential to broadcast public emergency messages, the Taxi & Limousine Commission says "New Yorkers didn't embrace these units like they could have. Our surveys indicated that those who experienced the units showed either indifference or negativity. We saw no compelling need to keep them around."
The companies that offer taxi TVs are planning to file a court injunction against the order for removal. I Love Taxi TV claims that there would be more informational programming but who really noticed any of it amidst the really aggressive, poorly produced ads? A spokesperson from another company, Interactive Taxi, says, "It would have shown New York was a wired city. To take these out of cabs will set us back by 50 years. I can't imagine removing them now. It's like, why?" This might be the essential problem with these taxi-tv companies: They think simply having a TV is being wired.
Tagged
court
I Love
Limousine Commission
love
new york
new yorkers
News: NYC
taxis
the city
tv
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Forest Hills Stadium can keep its concerts under deal with neighbors
Neighbors had complained of traffic and loud concerts for years.
By
Ryan Kost
Published Oct 22, 2026 at 2:49 p.m. ET
NYC Council to grill Mamdani officials on collapsed Hunts Point Produce Market deal
Council Speaker Julie Menin called the $650 million plan "mission critical."
By
Elizabeth Kim
News
NYC Council to grill Mamdani officials on collapsed Hunts Point Produce Market deal
Council Speaker Julie Menin called the $650 million plan "mission critical."
By
Elizabeth Kim
NYPD arrests 17-year-old in fatal Midtown subway platform shooting
By
Charles Lane
Ex-Adams aide accused of pocketing kickbacks from community program funds
By
Samantha Max
MTA to begin 6-year project to upgrade signal tech on A and C lines in Brooklyn and Queens
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .