Taximeter Technology Advancements - ncwm.net
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Taximeter Technology Advancements Professor Matthew W. Daus, Esq. 98 th Annual Meeting of National Conference on Weights and Measures July 16, 2013 — Louisville, Kentucky
Transcript of Taximeter Technology Advancements - ncwm.net
Taximeter Technology Advancements
Professor Matthew W. Daus, Esq.
98th Annual Meeting of National Conference on Weights and Measures
July 16, 2013 — Louisville, Kentucky
Presented By
Professor Matthew W. Daus, Esq.
• Former NYC Taxi & Limousine Commissioner/Chair
• Distinguished Lecturer, University Transportation
Research Center (UTRC)
• President, International Association of Transportation
Regulators (IATR)
• Partner & Chairman, Transportation Practice Group
Contact: [email protected]
156 West 56th Street | New York, NY 10019
T. 212.237.1106 | F. 212.262.1215
A hansom cab at Madison Square, New York, circa
1900
In the beginning….
First Taxi Technology?
The modern taximeter was invented by Wilhelm Bruhn in 1891
For a long time, much has not changed until recently…
Argo Taxi Cab Meter Efficient Instruments Corp. New York, Made in
Germany
Taxi Technology
New York City (T-PEP)
Taxi Passenger Enhancement Program
•Global Positioning Systems (GPS)
•Passenger Information Monitors (PIMs)
•Driver Information Monitors (DIMs)
•Credit & Debit Card Swipes (RFID)
T-PEP Program – Functionality & Benefits
•Fully Integrated System
•Basic Functionality
•Driver Benefits:
•Business opportunities
•Emergency & other information
•Passenger Benefits:
•Lost property return – faster and more options
•Convenience – easier tipping methods
•Reduced costs vs. other transport modes
(e.g. black cars/limos)
•Passenger info.- news, advertising, government
•Data Collection
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Taxi, Livery, Black Car, Limousine…….
Yes, there is an app for all that, but…
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Is it the “Wild West”?
Hailing a taxicab or arranging
for transportation via a for-
hire vehicle is no exception.
Technology start-up and transportation companies
have started to flood the market with smartphone
applications.
Taxi Smartphone Applications As technology innovations continue, more and more resources are available via smartphone applications.
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•These apps allow
•“Hailing” or “arranging”
transportation (a significant legal
distinction)
•Arrange rides or ride sharing
•Expedite payments
Run the app and locate a service
Download an app
Payment via text,
email or other
payment
processing devises
How Does It Work?
Book a Taxi, Black Car,
Limousine…
In July 2012, the Windels Marx Transportation
Practice Group Published A Report Entitled:
“Rogue” Smartphone Applications for Taxicabs
and Limousines: Innovation or Unfair
Competition?
A National Regulatory Review of Safety,
Accountability and Consumer Protection Legal
Issues.
Legal Issues Identified with Rogue Apps
Is It a Taximeter? •Only taxicabs charge fares based on
distance and time.
•In the U.S., these taximeters are regulated
by the NIST standards at the state level
and are calibrated and inspected to meet
these standards.
•Apps use GPS to calculate the fare based
on time, mileage and demand – this does
not meet the taximeter standards.
The future is
happening
now!!!
Big Data for
Regulators
The Future of Ground Transportation is Happening
Now Complete Integration & Big Data •Taxicabs – the vehicle itself
•Taximeters
•In-Vehicle Security Cameras
•Advertising (exterior/interior)
•Apps (payment processing)
•Pads/Screens
•Black Boxes
•On Board Diagnostics – vehicle
computer
•Panic buttons
•Global Positioning Systems (GPS)
•Regulator Dashboards
•Improved Taxi Service
•Smart Taxis (environmental/traffic/fare efficiencies)
•Content (location based advertising/info.)
•App & T-PEP Integration
•Transportation Planning
•Data collection & analysis
•Traffic patterns & road planning
•Real-time traffic information
•Law Enforcement
•Double-parking, bus-lane & other traffic infractions
•Fraud prevention
•Other regulatory uses (e.g., E-ZPass, driver shift
limitations)
Big Data For Ground Transportation Technology T-PEP is Dinosaur Technology
Driver's identification established by authentication through Driver's license swipe or other secure system;
Date of shift;
Vehicle number, vehicle license number and vehicle status (available or hired);
Medallion number;
Number of passengers on each trip;
GPS-generated origin, incremental, destination coordinates of each trip;
The fare for each trip including applicable fees charged;
The following data will be collected through APIs from dispatch services:
San Francisco ETA System Data Elements
The following data will be collected through APIs from dispatch services:
The mileage for each trip;
The total number of trips for each shift;
The time of hire and discharge for each trip;
The starting and ending times and total hours of each shift; and
Any other data that the SFMTA is authorized to collect either in real-time
or as aggregate data.
San Francisco ETA System Data Elements
John Vincent Hurt
"The past was dead, the future was unimaginable." George Orwell - Nineteen Eighty-Four
Is Big Data for Big Brother ?
Privacy Legal Issues
Privacy Rights & Taxi GPS Systems
Alexandre v. NYC TLC (SDNY 2007)
1% of medallion owners refused to install GPS claiming privacy rights violation due
to “limitless ability to track whereabouts.”
Court found TLC contracts with vendors limited release of data so no person
(including TLC) could use GPS data to determine location of “off-duty” taxicab.
Applying 4th Amendment case law – “no legitimate expectation of privacy” when
information readily available for public scrutiny;
Based on Knotts, no “reasonable expectation of privacy of motor vehicle travelling
on public roadway”;
Court applied “intermediate level of scrutiny” the Court concluded the TLC’s
substantial interest in requiring GPS outweighed privacy rights due to interest in
promoting taxi customer service, ridership, and passenger and driver safety.
The Philadelphia GPS Story
Philadelphia Parking Authority’s (PPA) Hospitality Initiative Program (HIP): 2005
(GPS facilitated PPA central dispatch system)
MCQ’s Enterprises v. PPA (EDPA)
Plaintiff Yellow Cab argued displacement of their dispatch system was both a
physical (alteration of cab) and regulatory taking (displacement of customer
base).
Court denied preliminary injunction as PPA rules were “for the public good…to
promote hospitality and tourism….”
Alexandre v. NYC TLC
Plaintiff also made 5th Amendment takings argument, but court ruled that
medallion owners who choose to engage in a “publicly regulated business”
surrender their rights to unfettered discretion, and the preliminary injunction was
denied.
Also, court noted, as in MCQ, the TLC’s rules were passed to “protect the public
interest.”
Privacy Legal Issues
Lessons Learned
Regulatory bodies stand on firm legal privacy ground (as
compared to criminal law enforcement and employee
monitoring)
Government regulators should clearly define use of data
and define via regulation and/or contract
Unresolved Issues
Off-duty GPS data
Use of taxi GPS data for criminal law enforcement
investigations
Passenger tolerance of privacy issues (Use irrespective of
law)
Privacy Legal Issues
Taxi Technology of the future???
Thank
You!
Q&A
