Author Topic: Taxis strike over a GPS system  (Read 5438 times)

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Offline Sal Atticum

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Taxis strike over a GPS system
« on: August 04, 2007, 08:37:44 AM »
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Cabbies threaten strike over GPS systems

NEW YORK (AP) -- A group representing thousands of taxi drivers said last week it will idle cabs in September if the city goes ahead with a plan to require installation of GPS tracking systems.

Starting October 1, as the city's 13,000 taxis come up for inspections they must have the GPS equipment along with touch-screen monitors that will let passengers pay by credit card, check on news stories and look up restaurant and entertainment information.

The Taxi Workers Alliance said the GPS devices invade drivers' privacy.
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If the Taxi & Limousine Commission abandons the GPS part of the plan, "then there's room to sit down and talk," said Bhairavi Desai, executive director of the New York Taxi Workers Alliance, which counts more than 8,400 members.

But if the plan moves forward, she said, the group will specify the date, duration and other details of the potential work stoppage next month.

The Taxi Workers Alliance -- an advocacy group rather than a labor union -- said GPS devices would be an invasion of drivers' privacy because they could track cabs' movements.

Taxi officials say the two systems could boost ridership and drivers' incomes by eliminating the need for cash, while giving drivers useful traffic tips and giving passengers a better chance of finding lost items.
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A spokesman for the taxi commission did not immediately return calls seeking comment.

The alliance organized a one-day strike in 1998 to protest plans to raise taxi owners' liability insurance requirements and other changes.
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I really think that, while this would be cool to have, the city has no place in requiring anything like this of the taxi drivers.

On a related note, are there more taxis in Fargo?  I never see them in GFK.
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Offline pmp6nl

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Re: Taxis strike over a GPS system
« Reply #1 on: August 04, 2007, 11:03:35 AM »
I agree.  While they may be nice features I dont think they should be required.

There are quite a few taxis in Fargo.
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Offline Sal Atticum

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Re: Taxis strike over a GPS system
« Reply #2 on: August 04, 2007, 06:26:16 PM »
So can you flag them down at will, or do you have to ring them up?  In Antwerp it was surprising--for a big city, most of the time you had to ring up a taxi rather than sticking your arm out.
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Offline JakeJZG

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Re: Taxis strike over a GPS system
« Reply #3 on: August 04, 2007, 10:38:05 PM »
I don't see a reason for such devices, especially in NY.  They didn't even give one.
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Offline Sal Atticum

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Re: Taxis strike over a GPS system
« Reply #4 on: August 04, 2007, 10:52:21 PM »
Supposedly, it's to make companies able to find their drivers, and to make every cab company in the city accept credit cards, many of which don't.  Which also means that if the government wants to, they can take this information and find out where you are and what you are doing wiht your credit card...
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Offline pmp6nl

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Re: Taxis strike over a GPS system
« Reply #5 on: August 05, 2007, 12:57:15 PM »
Big Brother  :confused1:
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Offline ajekt

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Re: Taxis strike over a GPS system
« Reply #6 on: August 05, 2007, 01:35:05 PM »
Just what we need, the government trying to get citizens to use products of private companies: credit cards.
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Offline JakeJZG

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Re: Taxis strike over a GPS system
« Reply #7 on: August 11, 2007, 03:12:48 PM »
Unless GPS has a new data band I really don't see the credit card connection - unless it's tracking people's movements by way of location of credit card transactions...which is all too telling that someone wants to know where people are at any given moment, and it's not primarily the drivers.
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Offline Meest

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Re: Taxis strike over a GPS system
« Reply #8 on: August 23, 2007, 02:09:36 AM »
Or maybe the city wants to see the traffic plots on where the cab's go? Maybe they're tired of dealing with cab theft, and crime?

I don't see SEARS delivery drivers up in arms because they have GPS on the tops of their vans? Do you?

If its a company cab, i don't see why the company wouldn't want to know where the cab driver was going with their car. if they were inflicting extra useless millage on a vehicle so more mantienence money would be spent upon it.

I don't know, I guess I don't see that much of a problem with it.

To Jake though, with GPS they can track where the cab was at a certain time, then cross reference it with the time your credit card charge went through and they have your location. that simple.

Offline JakeJZG

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Re: Taxis strike over a GPS system
« Reply #9 on: August 23, 2007, 08:01:36 PM »
I know how easy it is - that's one issue I have.  I don't like this type of intrusion into what used to be much more private as opposed to it being tracked with GPS. 

Call me a simple man, call me a criminal, but I want to be able to do and go where I want, and have the least amount of people know about it.  We have been using taxis for so...so long without this - is the slight and negligible capability worth the loss of any type of anonymity? 
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Offline Meest

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Re: Taxis strike over a GPS system
« Reply #10 on: August 24, 2007, 02:01:08 AM »
I know how easy it is - that's one issue I have.  I don't like this type of intrusion into what used to be much more private as opposed to it being tracked with GPS. 

Call me a simple man, call me a criminal, but I want to be able to do and go where I want, and have the least amount of people know about it.  We have been using taxis for so...so long without this - is the slight and negligible capability worth the loss of any type of anonymity? 

if someone is so worried about anonymity, why would they be using a credit card in the first place? Cash talks faster than plastic. with fewer questions asked.

I fully agree that i much prefer to go and please as I want, but if i'm using a card in a taxi, i don't expect privacy to be on the top of the list... were credit card records ever private?? I don't remember a point and time when taxi service with a credit card  didn't leave a paper trail....

We could always be like England, I really don't see an issue with this with taxies.... you have camera's on subway's, the city bus, trains, do you really expect any form of transportation besides your personal car and your own two feet to be private??

I can say for certain, if you come into my store with cash, and a first name only, I'm sure as hell going to remember everything else about you that I can, including the mode of transportation you took to my store, the clothes you were wearing, the license plate of the vehicle, and any other form of identification that i can see. I already have a few people like that... and i know more about them than i do with my people that have an account with me....

Can you honestly say you expect anonymity in todays day and age of techological overtaking?

Offline JakeJZG

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Re: Taxis strike over a GPS system
« Reply #11 on: August 24, 2007, 12:07:05 PM »
Your point is rational and true.  I would rather not, however, stand for any more such invasions.  Already these posts are buffered and algorithmically searched by NSA computers watching for websites and message boards for terrorist activity.  Hell, they are probably even checking images for steganography.  Just because it seems to be a losing battle does not mean that I can and should fight every inch.  We are rather quickly becoming a London-like surveillance state.  They already have guard towers in New York [http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?section=local&id=4782617].
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