The famous yellow taxis in New York look set to move forward into the future – and while the city’s “Taxi of Tomorrow” will not be able to take to the skies (oh, how that would be great in order to avoid jams on the ground!), drive itself without any passengers or even serve you coffee, it is part of the effort to completely overhaul the city’s fleet of 13,000 yellow taxis from late 2013 onwards. The prototype on display is a Nissan NV200, which is also the winner of the Taxi of Tomorrow contest, allowing one to experience what future passengers will. This will involve getting a virtual lift through New York City’s streets, where you are treated to improved leg room and head room, enough space in the trunk to cram in a quartet of large luggage pieces, a mobile charging station that features an electrical outlet and a couple of USB plugs, as well as a transparent roof panel so that you can enjoy a view of the skyscrapers around – although those living in skyscrapers can also see whether you’re making out or not in the taxi itself.
Taxi drivers are not too thrilled though, as all the modifications and changes seem to cater towards the comfort of the passengers, and David Graces, a New York City cabbie complained that “they’re not thinking about anything with the driver in mind, and that’s a problem for me. That’s why every time I see a new innovation I approach it with full skepticism, because the changes that they make are only in response to the pressures from the [NYC] administration.”
Come on guys, how about a driver massage chair?