NYC will no longer require Taxi TV

newsweek:

evangotlib:

dbreunig:

Respite!

In a nod to years of griping from captive passengers, taxi officials agreed to let the owners of the new cabs decide whether to install the screens, which are required in the city’s 13,000 yellow taxis.

“With Taxi TV, there’s a diversity of opinion as to the value for passengers,” David S. Yassky, the taxi and limousine commissioner, said rather delicately. “So it makes more sense to leave it up to the taxi owners.”

Translation: no one liked them except for the media companies who drove their adoption. File Taxi TV with QR codes, Cuecat, mobile TV, TV check-in apps and other products spurred by marketing and media company desires rather than actual consumer demand or use cases.

I’d argue NFC payments (in their current form) fall under this umbrella as well. But that’s a longer post. (Via NYT)

Taxi TV can not disappear fast enough.

Rejoice! If we had a nickel for every time we fumbled to hit mute on Taxi TV, well, we’d sure have a lot of nickels, I’ll tell you.

1. nyclimo reblogged this from newsweek
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5. twkestrel reblogged this from newsweek and added:

   FUCKING FINALLY YESSSSS \o/

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    Oh sweet merciful God, thank you. THANK YOU!

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28. fshk reblogged this from newsweek and added:

    Thank goodness. Those stupid TVs are like Instant Give-Erin-Carsickness Machines. Sure, you can turn them off, but I...

29. stryker liked this
30. sheercalculatedsilliness reblogged this from newsweek and added:

    My favorite feature of taxi tv is when you turn it off and the off screen is the exact same “programming”

31. lauraemily liked this
32. caterpillarcowboy reblogged this from newsweek and added:

    QR codes can’t disappear fast enough. I can’t think of anything with this much hype that has such horrible design. It...

33. thedelightofnotgoing liked this
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35. michellereneepaul reblogged this from newsweek and added:

    I am personally offended by the above comparison of (ultra-annoying) Taxi TV to my beloved (unfairly maligned) QR codes....

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41. rachelfershleiser said: Humblebrag?
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47. rebeccalando reblogged this from evangotlib and added:

    The most uncomfortable experience of my life was when I climbed into a cab, super drunk, alone, at like 4am one awful...

48. trappedintime liked this
49. jarebeardontcare reblogged this from newsweek and added:

    Drunk in Taxi: “where the fuck is off button?” Every. Single. Time.

50. adeandabet reblogged this from biteofpythias and added:

    Good point. I hate the TV, but maybe they could make it a more passive/opt-in media center. Instead of immediately...

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