Say goodbye to TVs in the back of taxicabs

Good riddance! Edited, original photo via flickr user Daniel X. O'Neil — Good riddance, lousy taxi ads! via flickr user Daniel X. O’Neil, edited by Sam Corbin

Taking green or yellow cabs means resigning yourself to endless loops of Kelly Ripa sizzles, tribal Blue-Man drumming, or Jimmy Fallon’s laughter. Those are just a few of the nightmarish sounds that blare from taxicab TVs at all hours, with you the helpless passenger.

You can mute the thing, sure, but you’ve convince yourself that it’s kind of comforting to have background noise. That is, until you realize what’s actually playing: ads, ads and more ads. It’s like a tiny, flashing Times Square billboard two inches from your face. It’s a TV that only plays commercials. It’s a living Clockwork Orange.

But not today, folks. Today, things are looking up for us: NY1 reports that the TLC has approved a decision to pilot a program that would remove its taxi TVs, and replace them with GPS meters that calculate cab fare.

The plan is in its pilot stages, so the TVs won’t disappear all at once. But over the next year, you can expect to see fewer and fewer TVs populating the backseats of all our big yellow taxis. Instead, you’ll have your very own meter in the back, so the only sound you’ll hear as you ride will be the whirring of your own mind, as you ask yourself over and over again, Why the heck did I spring for a cab?