If New York City has a blood, its color is yellow, and it may stop flowing in early September over the upcoming enforcement of GPS requirements.

The New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission (the TLC) wants cabs to install passenger technology systems starting in October, but the New York Taxi Workers Alliance (NYTWA) won’t stand for it.  The alliance represents over 10,000 cab drivers in the city of New York, and they are calling for a strike on September 5th and 6th over the inclusion of GPS systems in the proposed equipment instillation. 

The overall system is to provide a credit/debit card reader for customers to pay with, a video screen for entertainment & advertising, and satellite tracking equipment to give the passenger a real-time map of their location on their journey.  The ability to be tracked is the main issue upsetting the drivers and they feel it is a violation of their privacy.  The TLC says it will only collect data on pick-up, drop-off, number of passengers, and the fare information that is already tracked on paper.

While the system will not be used for dispatching due to the way cabs are hailed in the Big Apple, it will allow dispatchers to text job opportunities to the drivers.  The texting feature will also be used to alert drivers to citywide emergencies such as the 9/11 attack.

The cab drivers are not only concerned for their privacy, but by the use of credit and debit cards.  Until now, cab driving has been a cash only business, but with the inclusion of card payments, they worry about declined transactions and the fees associated with accepting them.

At this time, both sides seem unwilling to step down from their stance, and only time will tell how it plays out.

Related:

Entry was posted on Saturday, August 25th, 2007 at 2:45 pm under Technology.

Read more entries by Sean P. Aune.
Stumble It!