Depending on the time of day or night, hailing a cab in NYC straight up sucks. Not as much as trying to get into a bar or lounge in the Meat Packing district, but it's close. A lot of companies have tried to make it better with technology, but less than a handful can say they're nearing success. The NYC Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC), thinking it can do better, recently announced plans for a program that will develop a free app that will allow people to hail cabs from their phones.
Once a customer requests a pickup, the message will be sent to drivers within a mile and a half of the rider's location. Whichever driver responds first gets to pick up the rider. Sounds good on paper, but there are some details missing. Like whether or not the rider will have to disclose where they're going. Can't imagine drivers lining up to take someone waiting in Midtown to Bed-Stuy.
Also problematic is the prospect of no drivers responding to any e-hails during NYC's busies hours.
"They'll still tend to pick up a ride that's there first," TLC commissioner David Yassky told Yahoo! News. "I think drivers will use the app when there's no passenger out there."
The program is set to kick off on February 15 and run for a year as a test trial. If the TLC thinks its going well, it will expend the program.
[via Yahoo! News]
