Taxi cabs are fast becoming the biggest magnet in town for mobile apps and payments.
As MMW reported last month, Streamline LTD, one of England’s oldest and largest suppliers of taxis, recently launched its new Scan, Click & Go service.
Prior to that, in Washington, D.C., airsMobile Inc. recently announced its partnership with USA Cabs, resulting in the first install of TaxiRadar, a next generation E-hail and smart meter taxi system designed in response to the new DC taxi commission regulations.
TaxiRadar leverages the PayAnywhere API to enable in-app mobile payments via credit or debit card, completing the smart meter and secure credit card payment experience.
Then, on Thursday, VeriFone formally introduced Way2Ride, which according to Mobile Payments Today, is “a new app that lets New York City taxi passengers pay by smarthphone.”
The app works with iOS and Android phones and allows users to preset payment preferences, the preferred card, tip percentage and how they’d like to receive their receipt, according to a company announcement.
“Way2ride makes every taxi ride better, whether you hail by hand or with an app,” Amos Tamam, senior vice president of Taxi Systems for VeriFone, said in a news release. “An app that provides this convenience in every taxi in New York City, including the new for-hire vehicles in upper Manhattan and the boroughs, will be a real benefit to passengers and drivers alike.”
