But those screens are on the way out, after the Taxi and Limousine Commission approved a pilot program on Thursday that will eventually eliminate the TVs. However, for the most part, results of a 2011 survey among 22,000 riders found that 31% described the screens as their “least favorite part of the taxi experience”, 2nd only to the high fares. The tests are expected to take about a year.
Advertisement
I would surmise that a full removal will follow this program, as literally no one has ever said, “You know, what I just can’t get enough of is Taxi TV”. The program will be for up to four providers, with each allowed to try their technology in 250 cabs.
The TLC said the TV function has not been popular with customers or drivers.
The TVs are responsible for destroying the peace and solitude that passengers often seek from their cab rides, in addition to torturing drivers forced to listen to the relentless mechanized chatter day after day after day. “We’re actually thrilled [the TLC] is taking a more expansive approach”.
The devices will include GPS-based meters that will record distance and calculate fares that may be less expensive to operate than a traditional taxi meter.
For nearly a decade, Taxi TVs have annoyed NYC passengers, with their ads for Broadway shows and talk show reruns.
Either way, the TLC is looking ahead.
The Taxi and Limousine Commission voted Thursday to remove the widely disliked monitors in the back of yellow cabs, and to replace them with new technology, a TLC spokesman told DNAinfo.
Advertisement
But they also generated many complaints.
