New technology will be installed in Chicago that will offer much relief to both passengers and taxi cab drivers. Creative Mobile Technologies is providing touch screens (free of charge) that allow passengers to pay with credit / debit cards in exchange for rights to generate revenue from advertising. Programming, including local Chicago news, sports, entertainment, restaurant listings and tourist information, is still in the works, along with advertising, said Jesse Davis, president of Creative Mobile Technologies.
Introduced earlier in New York City and Boston, the new touch-screen devices have been installed in 30 taxi cabs in Chicago, the first step in solving the third biggest complaint city officials receive each year – the refusal of some taxi drivers to accept credit cards – behind reckless driving and rude behavior. It’s also the number one complaint heard by the taxi industry. “The biggest thing I’ve heard from the public is the driver doesn’t want to accept credit cards,” said Jeffrey Feldman, president of Taxi Medallion Management, LLC. One reason for the negative attitude is the 5% that credit card companies skim off the top of each fare that pays with credit. Approximately 760 more units will be installed in July in Checker Taxi and Blue Diamong cabs with plans for all 2,600 Chicago taxis to be eventually covered.
The equipment offers passengers the option to swipe a credit or debit card instead of handing over a card or cash to the driver, allowing passengers a quicker and safer payment option, with transactions processed in three seconds, on average. The instrument screen will present a running tab, an opportunity to add a tip and an itemized bill, including tolls and surcharges, at the end of the trip. Google Maps software will give passengers a way to monitor their trip and keep the cabbie honest by avoiding unneccasary detours to inflate the fare. The screen also offers helpful gratuity suggestions of 15, 20 and 25%.
In New York, tips to drivers increased after the card technology was introduced in 2008, according to the city’s taxi and limousine commission. “Customers love swiping the credit card because it’s fast and easy, and sometimes the tips are better,” said Amadou Barry, 37, who has been driving a taxi for three years. According to Tad Fordyce, a Visa Product Development Expert, a recent study by Visa reports a a 7% jump in tip fare payments, from 15% to 22%.
