The New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission may replace taxi televisions in 50 cabs with iPads or other tablet computers.
The commission is weighing a proposal by Square, a mobile payment company based in San Francisco, according to multiple reports.
If approved, the pilot program would allow riders to play computer games and swipe a credit card at any point in their trip rather than watch a loop of news segments and ads produced by TV stations.
Square is expected to make a formal presentation to the taxi commission at a meeting on March 1.
The change would decrease the percentage taxi drivers pay on credit card transactions from 5 percent to 2.75 percent, reports The New York Post.
Cab drivers told the paper they could definitely use the extra cash.
Some passengers lauded the idea of having iPads in cabs, saying it would save batteries on their own phones and provide more entertaining options than the taxi TVs.
Other cab patrons said the pilot program would be a waste of money because so many people already have smartphones.
Taxi 3.0: NYC Cabs Could Get iPads Under Proposed Pilot Program
If approved, the pilot program would allow riders to play computer games and swipe a credit card at any point in their trip.
Copyright AP - Associated Press
