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Cabbies Don't Need No Stinkin' Navigation Systems
from the they-know-where-they're-going dept
At first pass, it may seem like satellite navigation systems would be perfect for taxi cabs. However, it turns out that cab drivers think they're a waste of time. The reasoning really isn't that surprising. Navigation systems are really useful in areas where you don't know where you're going. They make little sense when you know exactly where to go -- as a taxi driver should. So the benefit is pretty limited. Then, of course, there's another reason not mentioned in this particular article, but which has been discussed in the past: the cabbies are worried that the systems will be used more for tracking their whereabouts, rather than for better navigation. Of course, it will be interesting to see how this changes once navigation systems also include traffic congestion information -- which could have a big impact on what route a taxi driver uses.
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bring on the navigation
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Other Things Cabbies Don't Like...
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'Dem Boston Cab Drivahs
1st?
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He can do a detour.
So what if boss tracks it, it only helps quick decision making ,In fact driver can justify any dealy easily..And lot less noise in the cab (like that horrifying talkie speeker noise " 203, where are you ... there is one customer across the street ..... ").
For door2door shuttles navi can give optimal sequnce of destination points.
As it is getting lot inexpensive, i think GPS will go intto all cabs, and it is good for all - dirver,cab agency and the passenger.
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Hate it
This has happened alot of times coming from downtown san fran to my home.
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Robberies
AS with most high-technology there are Pluses and Minuses...
One plus would be applicable to the rash of cab robberies that seem to peak every so often - to the point where, in some cities, there are Barriers seperating the Cab Driver from the public.
Imagine a smallish, hidden button you could push with your foot or hand - that would not only alert the police or your main headquarters, but allow them to view the navigation in real-time if they are able to correspond with the police.
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It's in London
In other words, the article is not saying that cabbies in general don't like satnav - it's saying that a particular group of cabbies, who are justifiably proud of their knowledge of their city, don't like satnav.
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Sat Nav, Cabbies and the knowledge
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London cabbies
I'm waiting the knowlegde to be challenged as discriminatory on these grounds, but i like it. the idea i can get into a cab, tell the driver where i want to go (at least the street name, if not the name of the hotel etc) and they will know where it is and how to get there is worth it.
sat nav is ok, but i've always found in a rats nest of roads its less than helpful (confusing where you are for example), a real life London cabbie doesn't have that problem (as often)
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No they can't speak any language helpful to any passenger but I'd be willing to put my life in the hands of a cabbie when it came to where I need to go and getting there in a timely manner.
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Re: Robberies
I'm not surprised cabbies don't care about navigation systems. These guy eat and breathe the streets of where they work. I never felt the need for them either. The only time I would find one useful is when driving in a place I've never been before, and to me, exploring and navigating is half the fun.
In most places, if you have a general idea of which direction you need to go, you can get where you want to be without knowing the exact way. Of course, I don't mind taking a little side excursion (or "short cut" as they are amusingly called in our family) because you invariably see something new, discover something you never expected to see and sometimes find a new route. Fortunately, my wife has a huge case of wanderlust, so she is more than happy to take a chance on a new route.
Maybe it's an example of that "men never ask for directions" stereotype. I dunno, I'll plead guilty on that. But I manage to get around just fine without a navigation system, and that includes when I drove on the mythical roads of Boston a few times.
Of course, my sister can get lost driving around the block, and for her, a navigation system would be very useful and helpful.
I can see their value for anyone (if you've ever been to North Arlington, VA, just outside of DC, you can attest that the roads there do not conform to Euclidian geometry... I've gotten lost there _with_ a map), but despite being an unrepentent gadget freak, I don't plan on getting a navigation system any time soon. Just give me my Neuros 80GB MP3/OGG player... _that's_ my navigation system. ;-)
Of course, I _could_ see a time when a navigation system would be very useful. Living near Washington, D.C., we have the worst traffic this side of L.A., and if the GPS systems could link up to real-time traffic data and determine the best route based on traffic patterns, then it would be a very valuable commodity to even someone who doesn't need help getting around.
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Chicago Cabbies
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Re:
I can't speak for every city, of course, but satellite navigation could go a long way toward repairing Baltimore's trust in their cabbies - at least if the GPS shows a 5-block route and the cabbie's been driving for 20 minutes, the passenger knows something's up.
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Re: Re: Robberies
My father has a Garmin GPS, and he'll often use it when on a road trip to somewhere he's already been because it doesn't always calculate the same route for him, and he likes the change of scenery every once in a while without having to worry about where the next turn is too much.
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Cabbies suck!
Once they have a customer, I've never seen anyone drive slower or more by the book than a cab driver.
Soon as the customer sits in, he switches into slow motion and stupid mode. Taking the slowest lanes and super law abiding driving.
What they need is an electric ass zapper that once they go too slow or act too stupid BZZZZZ right in th ass 40,000 volts of pure tazing power!
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Paris cab ride
It was a little weird to watch but it was the most direct route I could figure out. However he is not learning anything working this way- one step away from a robot driver.
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who needs GPS?
Also, someone who's been driving a cab for any length of time should know their way around the city reasonably well--and which routes are more likely to have heavy traffic.
Oh yea, and for people who hate cabbies (like Layperson): Of the 40 or so fares you pick up in a 12-hour shift, at least one is guaranteed to be a platinum-plated cretin.
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Cabspotting
Visually, it's pretty nifty. Not sure how I'd feel about it if I was a cabbie, however.
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Also, to #13, NYC cabbies do not change their driving behavior one bit when they get a passenger. My friend was in NYC for the first time and nearly peed her pants when the cabbie took off and *almost* got us killed.
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stop the BS in Vegas
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Oh O.K.
Just watch what they do, I watch them all the time.
If the situation in NYC is accurate perhaps it's due to a difference in how the driver actually gets paid.
My observation is very accurate for those paid by the clock.
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