Hasta La Gadget!

Taxi hailing apps have had a rough time getting started in the Big Apple. After the city’s Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) put the kibosh on Uber and subsequently blessed e-hailing apps with a 12-month test, the TLC faced a setback of its own: a lawsuit. Filed in March by 10 livery (black car) service outfits against the TLC and New York City, the suit packed seven complaints and temporarily put the pilot on hold. Among the claims were concerns that the program clouds the legal distinction between black cars and yellow medallion taxis, that it puts the elderly at a disadvantage and would enable cab drivers to discriminate by refusing service to certain passengers. Today, a judge dismissed the suit and lifted the order, clearing the way for the year-long trial to progress. There’s no word on just when Uber and the likes of other e-hailing apps will be allowed to operate, but with legal hurdles out of the way, that should happen fairly soon.

Filed under: Transportation, Mobile

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Via: The Washington Post

Source: City of New York

If you hadn’t gathered, Uber’s app-based taxi service isn’t always welcome wherever it goes. The company is tired of that fighting just to maintain its business, so it’s defining its expansion policies through a new white paper. Deployments will occur in regions where Uber sees “tacit approval” from regulators — in other words, areas where there hasn’t been direct legal action against competing services for at least 30 days. Just in case authorities change their minds, the company plans to go “above and beyond” commercial licensing requirements, including a $2 million insurance policy on trips and more stringent background tests. While Uber would much rather have explicit permission to operate as it sees fit, the strategy could have the firm venturing into territories where competitors with unlicensed drivers have (seemingly) free rein.

Filed under: Cellphones, Transportation

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Via: TechCrunch

Source: Uber

No matter where you are, hailing a taxi isn’t always easy, and when you’re not willing or able to flash them to get them to slow down, it can be frustrating, especially in a foreign country. There are a few different apps that allow you to hail taxis, but this new system by TomTom looks pretty interesting.

The free TomTom Taxi app was based on terminals that TomTom had installed in Amsterdam, allowing people to hail taxis to specific terminals. The app will call a taxi to your location, and will automatically let you know how long it will take for it to arrive. The app even lets you learn about specific drivers, and lets you order your favorite driver – if you actually have one.

There are already several Taxi-ordering apps available, including HAILO and Taxi Magic, but this is the first to incorporate TomTom’s award winning GPS and map tech.

TomTom Taxi is available now for the iPhone, and is coming soon for Android devices. For now, there’s no indication whether TomTom will extend this service beyond the Netherlands, but I can see this being useful almost anywhere.

[via Ubergizmo]

There’s been a perpetual catch with TomTom’s taxi hailing service in Amsterdam (and now Rotterdam): passengers have to hail from a specific terminal, which isn’t much help when they just need a ride home from the club at 2AM. The Dutch don’t have to necessarily forgo one convenience for another now that there’s an iPhone app. Edging closer to services like Uber, the TomTomTaxi app lets travelers order a cab from their own devices, learn about drivers and choose favorite drivers if they have good experiences. The software may keep rude surprises to a minimum, as well, when both the driver and travelers can see the fastest route for themselves. Expansion outside of the Netherlands is still a mystery, although there’s an Android app on the way that should cover a larger swath of taxi seekers.

Filed under: Cellphones, Transportation, Mobile

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Via: The Next Web

Source: TomTom, App Store

Uber has been having a tough time getting a foothold in New York City, and it’s temporarily withdrawing the UberTaxi service it had in beta. The withdrawal isn’t entirely for the reasons you’d expect, however. While Uber claims to have been getting grief from the city’s Taxi and Limousine Commission for offering a competing (if technically legal) service through its smartphone apps, the program’s end was due to demand rather than any kind of outright ban — the Commission’s pressure reportedly kept Uber from matching interest with enough yellow cabs. Black car service is still on for those who don’t mind the classic ride. Should that uncomfortable balance not be quite good enough, Mayor Bloomberg is promising a truce come February, when a shift in contracts will let New York change the rules and hopefully improve the market for taxi alternatives.

Update: TLC Commissioner David Yassky has weighed in with both an elaboration and claims that the Commission has been in favor of newer technology for awhile. He notes that the contracts expiring in February relate to exclusive payment arrangements with Creative Mobile Technologies and VeriFone, and that apps of all kinds (Uber’s included) can compete for attention at that point. His full statement:

“In recent months, as e-hail apps have emerged, TLC has undertaken serious diligence and is moving toward rule changes that will open the market to app developers and other innovators. Those changes cannot legally take place until our existing exclusive contracts expire in February. We are committed to making it as easy as possible to get a safe, legal ride in a New York City taxi, and are excited to see how emerging technology can improve that process. Our taxis have always been on the cutting edge of technological innovation, from GPS systems to credit card readers.”

Filed under: Transportation

Uber shuts down New York City taxi beta, may see light at the end of the (Lincoln) tunnel in February (update: TLC responds) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 16 Oct 2012 17:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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