New GPS System in NYC Cabs Is A Little Too Noisy for Drivers

As an urban studies major—not to mention a New York City student on a budget—I am a devout user of public transportation. But for various reasons beyond my control, I have taken more taxis in the last two weeks than I had in the preceding two years.

In talking to the taxi drivers—one of the best parts about living in New York—in these past two weeks, the big news on their minds was, without exception, the new video screen Global Positioning Systems that are being installed from now to the beginning of next year. The units, which are installed on the back of the front seat, are comprised of a decently sized television screen, a credit card swipe machine, and a GPS tracker.

The TV can display a wealth of information. Riders are able to view a constantly refreshing map of the route and a running ticker of the fare. There is also a feed of NBC or ABC news and weather updates. Additionally, there are informational links so riders can see the taxi rate, the riders’ bill of rights, and other informational documents.

These units have drawn enormous outcry from the drivers of New York’s 13,000 medallioned taxis, which the city is requiring to all install the machines in the coming months. The New York Taxi Workers Alliance, which represents about 10,000 cabdrivers, has gone on two strikes because of the units. So where’s the beef?

First, as my cabdriver Bataille told me coming back from East Side yesterday, “It’s a headache.” For some reason, the software doesn’t work well—when I hopped in the cab, the machine said that I was going to JFK and had pre-charged me $45. Also, the credit card readers are fluky at best—I watched as the machine rejected a credit card a half dozen times before finally registering and going through the verification process.

One can imagine a shopper returning from Fifth Avenue, swiping the card, and hopping out of the cab without ensuring that the transaction had gone through, thus stiffing the driver. Further, when I tried to mute the machine, the sound was somehow still playing, though at a quieter pitch. (The television portion of the units can be turned off by riders.)

Beyond that, there is the concern of additional noise. The running news can serve as a distraction to drivers. In addition to the news, the city has pre-programmed noisy advertisements on the screens. And while there is something deeply ironic about a taxi driver complaining about sensory overload while driving a car, listening to the radio, and talking on a cell phone, the point is well taken.

Further, drivers said that their riders don’t like the machines either. Indeed, even while trying to research this column, I found myself feeling the need to turn off the machines each time I got into a car with one of them. This, along with the Metropolitan Transit Authority’s recently announced agreement to set up subway stations with devices that would provide for cell phone access underground, are further steps in the increasing connectivity of the commute, and one can imagine a day not too long from now when news, sports, and stock tickers will run inside subway trains, making our rides feel a little bit more like the talking heads being boxed into a corner of a TV screen.

Finally, the credit card companies take a 5 percent chunk out of all transactions that are made with the machines—a substantially higher number than other credit card transactions.

Now, nobody would argue that the units are entirely good or bad. Even the drivers who hate the machines concede that the GPS systems save them time by allowing them to not have to mark the start and stop points on each passenger down on a clipboard and sheet of paper. As a rider, the credit card machines are a long-overdue feature, and the mapping and fare software adds a layer of accountability that was previously missing.

Josh Hirschland can be reached at josh.hirschland@columbiaspectator.com.