RFID Gazette: RFID + Big Yellow Taxis

December 06, 2006

RFID + Big Yellow Taxis

Joni Mitchell's famous song Big Yellow Taxi (covered by The Counting Crows) talks about "paving paradise and putting up a parking lot." Well in Philadelphia, they're not discovering paradise, but half of the taxi cabs are making the city more like paradise for riders who don't have cash on them. As long as customers have MasterCard's PayPass contactless payment card or keyfob, they can pay for their fare. The wireless credit and debit card payments technology, supplied by VeriFone Transportation Systems, is actually expected to also help the Philadelphia Parking Authority determine if cabs are serving the entire city or only certain parts. [Digital Transactions via Loftwares]

Now all you have to worry about is actually finding a cab when you need one. While there was no mention of payments by NFC-enabled cell phones, this development in Philly is one more step towards the possible ubiquity of RFID-based mobile + contactless payment options for consumers.

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December 6, 2006 in Consumer Use, Payment | Permalink