New York’s fleet of iconic yellow taxis are still the city’s reliable, non-surge priced transportation backbone. Its 13,500 medallion taxis make 170 million trips a year, every single one of them mapped in this beautiful new visualization from the folks at the MIT Senseable City Lab. The interactive map isn’t just here to be pretty—it’s also the data behind a strategy to make riding taxis way more efficient.
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New York’s State Supreme Court just put the brakes on the Taxi of Tomorrow, ruling that the Taxi and Limousine Commission doesn’t have the power to make Nissan’s NV200 the universal yellow cab. But how could NYC riders have benefited from it?
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If you make your way around New York, you know how vital taxis can be when you need to get somewhere without having to suffer through taking subways, buses, or even walking to your destination. For years, New York City cabs have had the ability to pay by credit card when you’re strapped for cash, but if you’ve ever wanted to pya by using ultrasound, now you can thanks to VeriFone. (more…)
Way2Ride Lets New York Cab Riders Pay Via Ultrasound original content from Ubergizmo. 
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VeriFone this week launched a new service for NYC taxi passengers, letting customers pay for a cab by tapping any compatible smartphone. Way2ride utilizes Zoosh ultrasound technology, enabling secure payments using the speaker and mic in your device and the payment terminal on the other end. The app, available for Android and iOS devices, lets you pre-select payment info and even a tip amount. To initiate a transaction, you’ll simply tap your phone anytime during the ride, then hop out right when you reach your destination — a receipt will appear within the app. You can even use the app to hail a cab, estimate your fare and report a lost item. Download it now at the source links below.
Filed under: Cellphones
Source: VeriFone, Way2ride (Android), Way2ride (iOS)
Following our previous post on Taxis in Asia’s most developed cities we decided to take the bumpier road and provide a round up of taxis in four of Asia’s emerging metropolises.
1- Bangkok: Tuk-tuk
Overview: uncomfortable, overpriced and inefficient. You are better off taking a regular taxi. Then again tuk-tuks have become synonymous with transportation in Bangkok and worth taking for a short ride just for the experience.
Price: Should be negotiated with the driver before riding. Be prepared to haggle tough… then again you will still get ripped off whatever price you agree on anyway.
Pimped out disco light tuk-tuk.
Bonuses: Interesting pimped out interiors with various kinds of decoration. A great way to experience the heat, congestion, and intensity of Bangkok, but probably not recommended if you are severely jet-lagged or hungover.
Haggling with a tuk-tuk driver.
Warnings: Often drivers will ask you to visit a shop (or two, or three) so that he can receive gas coupons from the shop owners in exchange for bringing them business, so always refuse this and insist on going to your destination. Avoid picking up tuk-tuks right outside of tourist areas and instead walk a couple of blocks and hail one off the street. Be prepared for a bumpy ride so don’t indulge in too much Thai food and beer before riding!
2- Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): Motorbike taxi
Overview: In Ho Chi Minh its better to be on a motorbike than off one, as its often much safer to catch a bike ride somewhere than try to walk it. Motorbikes are also more capable of navigating through the chaotic and dense traffic, narrow backstreets and old neighborhoods than the buses or regular taxis.
Price: Its always good to ask a local friend or hotel staff about the average price of getting from A to B by motorbike taxi, obviously expect to pay a bit more than locals and be sure to settle the price before jumping on and strapping your helmet.
Bonuses: relatively cheap, safe, fast and exciting. What better way to experience getting around Vietnam than they way most locals do!
Warnings: The driver may pretend to know your destination and instead take you somewhere else and hope to escape with his fare before you realize so make sure you are at the right place before paying! This happened to me a couple of times. Most importantly- always wear a helmet! Its the law in Vietnam so don’t suffer the penalty fine.
Average price from Ho Chi Minh Airport to downtown: Around 70,000 Dong ($US3-4)
3- Mumbai: Taxi
Overview: widely available, safer, cleaner and more comfortable than auto-rickshaws and for the most part fairly priced. Older taxis such as the black and yellow Padmini, ubiquitous with old ‘Bombay’ are slowly fizzling out of the traffic scene in favor of newer air-conditioned models.
Price: Rs19 ($US0.35) for first 1.5Km, Rs12.35 ($US0.23) per additional Km.
Bonuses: Cheap, metered, and several cab companies including MeruCabs and TabCab offer services allowing you to book pick ups online and through the phone which is often allot more reliable especially if travelling for business or getting to airports on time.
Warnings: If taking a regular taxi rather than a fleet taxi then always make sure that the driver re-sets the meter, especially if he is using a mechanical meter. You can check for the reliability of the rates by carrying a ‘rate-card’ available at the airport since some drivers will carry a fake rate-card with higher prices. Often drivers are reluctant to take you short distances, in this case offer them a flat rate. Most importantly do not get into a taxi if they say the meter is not working!
4- Kathmandu- Taxi
Overview: Kathmandu isn’t exactly a sprawling metropolis but the fact that taxis in and around the city take you across some spectacular Himalayan scenery is worth a mention. Most taxis in Kathmandu are small, cozy Suzuki Marutis which barely fit two passengers let alone their luggage.
Price:most drivers are willing to go by meter for short trips at the rate of Rs 8 ($US0.09) for every 200m although to/from major tourist destinations you have to negotiate the price. Since Nepal is a poor country and prices in general are cheap its not worth arguing to much to save a few cents.
Bonuses: a cheap, convenient way to get to cross the emerging city, access amazing Himalayan views and check out historical towns. From my experience taxi drivers in Kathmandu were super friendly, invited us to lunch, smoke and educated us about Nepali life.
Warnings: By law taxis are required to go by the meter, but in a corrupt state as Nepal officials have turned a blind eye to this. Not going by the meter for longer journeys means you will probably be asked to pay 5-10 times the metered price so negotiation is necessary. But if you are in a hurry just settle the deal quickly otherwise you will find yourself wasting time haggling or arguing about using the meter. If you have a larger budget its worth using transport arranged by your hotel, tour operator or company.
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
Via: The Washington Post
Source: City of New York
Having lived and travelled around different parts of Asia we thought it would be good to give a round-up of how things operate in these very distinct markets. From Thai tuk-tuks to doily-adorned Japanese cabs, Asia has a wide variety of options for getting from A to B. This is Part 1!
1-Hong Kong
Image via flickr
Overview: Fast, convenient and cheap; it is easy to hail a taxi from almost anywhere and you wont have to stop at an ATM to pay for the rest of your fare. An affordable and quicker alternative to public transport especially for first time visitors!
Price: HK$20 ($US2.6) for the first 2 kilometers and then HK$1.50 (US$0.2) for every subsequent 200m.
Hong Kong’s red, green and blue taxis service different locations in the territory. Image via HK Transport Department.
Bonuses: Most Hong Kong cabbies are friendly, chatty and speak some English and very patient considering all the drunken, vomiting and rowdy people they have to deal with coming back from Lan Kwai Fong (the party district) in the early hours.
Pimped up HK Taxi Driver’s dashboard. Image via shanghaibutter.com
Warnings: It is illegal for a Hong Kong cab driver to refuse to take you somewhere unless they have a valid excuse. That said you can probably always find another cab quite soon.
Hong Kong Cabbie. Jus’ Chillin’ image via Geographically Yours
Average price of a taxi from Hong Kong Airport to Central (downtown): HK$300 (US$39) and takes just less than an hour.
2- Singapore
Image via onsingapore.com
Overview: Singapore is small, so if you don’t have much time just take a taxi!
Price: between SG$3-4 (US$2.4- 3.2) for the first kilometer depending on which type of taxi you take.
Bonuses: Since Singapore is small you are unlikely to ever rack up a crazy taxi fare unless you get the driver to ride around in circles all night. Very talkative and opinionated drivers will ensure an enteraining ride; I recommend checking this out humorous and insightful blog by Singapore cabbie James Lim.
Singaporean Cabbie who returned $1m found in his taxi. Image via Jakarta Globe.
Warnings: If you are staying or visiting just outside the downtown/business district of Singapore then be aware that since cab drivers can get an extra three dollars picking someone up from inside the business district they are unlikely to stop for you. So you will have to walk the extra block to get a cab.
An average taxi journey from Changi Airport to downtown Singapore: ranges from SG$18.00-38.00 ($US14-30) and takes about 30 minutes.
3- Seoul
Seoul International Taxis (Image via Seoul.go.kr)
Overview: Getting around Seoul by taxi can be a cheaper and quicker option than by public transport and there are a variety of taxi types on offer including the deluxe taxis and International Taxis which speak English and Japanese.
Price: Seoul Regular taxi fares begin at ￦2,400 (US$2.15) for the first 2 kilometers and go up by ￦100 (US$0.9) every additional 144 meters.
Seoul Taxi. Image via Seoul Navi.
Bonuses: You can pay using t-money, credit card and cash, drivers are direct but friendly and you don’t have to speak Korean.
Image via Starsandstripes.com
Warnings: Hailing a taxi in Seoul at night can be difficult with some taxi drivers reluctant to take you to certain districts or on routes which are not economical enough for them. If you are a tourist or new to Seoul then Seoulistic provides some tips on avoiding getting ripped off by Seoul cabbies.
An average fare from Incheon International Airport to downtown Seoul: ￦50,000 (US$45).
4- Tokyo
Tokyo Taxi (Image via National Geographic)
Overview: Taking a taxi in Tokyo is an expensive luxury but of course every now and again you will find yourself missing the last train, completely lost or just tired and fed up of walking around.
Price: fares start at JPY 710 (US$7.4) for the first 2.1 kilometers taxi and increase by ¥90 (US$0.9) for every extra 288m.
Tokyo Taxi Driver. Image via news.com.au.
Bonuses: All Tokyo taxi drivers wear suits with waist-coats, white gloves and decorate the taxi interiors with laced seat covers like an old lady’s living room. They also open the doors for you which in a way seems to justify the price, but…
Image via wired.com
Warnings: Most Tokyo taxi drivers are not from Tokyo so don’t know the city that well and often don’t know how to use their satellite navigators so even if you have a copy of the address written in Japanese you might end up having to give the driver directions!
If you are crazy enough to consider taking a taxi from Narita airport to Tokyo station: you will be set back around JPY 20,000 ($US 209).
Check out Taxis in Asia: Part two coming soon!
Occasionally you’ll luck out and climb into a taxi cab with such amenities as free tissues, discarded newspapers, or all the tourist pamphlets you can carry. But if you find yourself in New Orleans, you might end up in one of the 250 vehicles in the Orleans Carriage Cab fleet that now feature soda-dispensing vending machines. More »
The Taxi industry is often seen as an old and low-tech industry, but here in Silicon Valley, they are learning from their high-tech peers: San Francisco taxi drivers are suing transportation company Uber (no link w/ Ubergizmo other than good naming taste), for allegedly practicing unfair business competition and violating some obscure SF laws. Did we mention that Uber is killing taxis is terms of customer satisfaction? (more…)
By Ubergizmo. Related articles: iPhone, iPad and Macs could be banned on Aug 24, Google, A Patent Attack Victim. Really?,
What you see above isn’t just another shameless car stereo project, but a black cab that turns the hustle and bustle of city noise into music. The Sound Taxi toured London last week collecting ambient sound pollution with a roof-mounted mic, recycling it through production software and then pumping out real-time mixes on its army of speakers and horns. The mobile disco was a collaboration between headphone company AiAiAi and Yuri Suzuki, with Mark McKeague providing the back-end wizardry which turned clamor into samples into tracks. If you’d like to hear the fruits of their labor, then head over to the Make The City Sound Better website (sourced below) for some uploaded examples of London street beats.
Filed under: Transportation, Software, Alt
Sound Taxi composes music from London city buzz, doesn’t even take a fare originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 24 Sep 2012 07:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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