NYC may launch pilot program with app to hail taxis

A pilot program that lets users hail taxis with a smartphone app will soon be voted on.

(Credit: Declan McCullagh/CNET)

Whether people call a taxi or hail one can be a contentious matter in New York City -- because of rules set up between yellow cabs and for-hire vehicles. So, it's no surprise that a smartphone app that let users beckon yellow cabs is a topic of hot debate with the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission.

The commission announced today that it will vote on whether to allow such apps in a pilot program, according to the New York Times. The vote is scheduled for tomorrow.

"Bringing apps into New York would be a change in the way people get taxis," commission Chairman David Yassky told the New York Times. "It makes sense to see how that pans out and see if any of the supposed problems with that materialize before you make it permanent."

Companies, like Uber, have been working to bring taxi apps to New York the past few months but have failed. Uber launched support for taxi service in New York in September, but after just one month the company pulled out.<... [Read more]