Frequently Asked Questions:

TLC Mandate

What did the Taxi and Limousine Commission include in its 2004 mandate for taxicab technology enhancements?
The TLC mandated electronic trip sheet data collection; credit and debit card acceptance; text messaging capability; a Passenger Information Monitor that provides a map; technology enhancements associated from revenue; wireless telecom services, network management and technical support and system security and privacy.


Credit Card Transactions

How will credit and debit card fares affect driver revenue?
Most likely, better tips and higher passenger volume. The best research on tipping comes out of the restaurant industry. According to Professor William Michael Lynn at Cornell University, restaurant patrons paying with credit cards generally leave larger bill-adjusted or percentage tips than do those paying with cash. (Tipping in Restaurants and Around the Globe: An Interdisciplinary Review, M.E. Sharpe Publishers, 2006)

How long does it take to process a credit or debit card transaction?
Most cards are processed in 5-8 seconds. If a receipt for signature is needed – required for transactions over $25 - the meter’s high speed printer can do so in just a few seconds.

What role does the meter play in the speedy delivery of credit or debit card transactions?
Today most meters come with built-in printers. The actual printing of the receipt is often the deciding factor in a speedy delivery.

Is our credit and debit card processing system reliable?
By TLC mandate, card systems have to be 99% plus reliable.

When does the driver get his money?
As quickly as within 24 hours for merchant account holders. And while we cannot control the settlement cycles of the major card companies, which vary, we will continue to work with each of the card companies to ensure we have the fastest cycle possible.

What if the driver is not the merchant account holder?
If the driver is not the merchant account holder, the speed at which the merchant account holder makes the funds available to the driver is based upon their own business arrangement. We are committed to providing the tools and technologies to making this process as fast and efficient as possible.

What happens if the passenger doesn’t know how to use the credit and debit card functions or other functions on the PIM?
The driver can use his Driver Interactive Unit to assist the passenger with credit and debit card purchases. In fact, every option provided to the passenger throughout the trip can also be selected by the driver to ensure the best passenger/driver experience possible.


Passenger Information Monitors

Is the PIM built to withstand vandalism and overuse?
Our self-contained PIM is mostly encased in a ballistics-grade cast aluminum enclosure that is bolted to the driver’s side of the taxi partition. The ATM-grade touch screen was designed by Mobile Knowledge specifically to withstand the vigorous use in New York City taxicabs.

Is the PIM likely to be the target of thieves?
Many New Yorkers will recall a time in the 1980’s when vehicle owners placed “No Radio” signs in their windows to prevent thieves from breaking their windows and stealing radios that they could then sell on the street. Today those signs have disappeared because most car radios don’t work outside of the vehicle and no longer have any street value. While a PIM is a much more sophisticated and expensive piece of equipment than the average car radio, stealing one is just as futile. Our PIM is configured to be vehicle and owner specific and only functional when connected to our network.

What happens if the PIM malfunctions or breaks?
In less than the time it takes to get an oil change, any one of our approved service locations will replace your system with a new one under our maintenance and repair guarantee.

Can a passenger turn the PIM off or control the volume?
Yes. Every unit has an off switch, as required by the Taxi and Limousine Commission and all of our PIMs feature a passenger volume control.


Driver Interactive Unit and Text Messaging

Can drivers use the text message capabilities to respond to pre-arranged requests for service?
No.

Can drivers create text messages on their Driver Interactive Unit, such as on a Blackberry, cell phone or personal computer?
No. However, owners can install predefined messages that the drivers can send back to the fleet such as “breakdown, send tow truck.”



To find out more information about the FREEdom Solution, call Creative Mobile Technologies, LLC, contractor agent for Mobile Knowledge Corp., at 718-349-7700.