GPS in taxis: Big Brother or boon?

New York City cabbies don’t like the idea of being tracked by satellite. But what alternative do any of us really have?

I touched on this topic a bit last week: Where exactly do we draw the line between technology and expediency? Or more specifically: Where do we draw the line between our rights as individuals versus the ability of technology to strip away almost all of our freedom to behave like humans?

To the story at hand, it seems the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) in its infinite wisdom is mandating that every cab in the Big Apple be equipped with GPS. In response, the New York Taxi Worker’s Alliance (NYTWA) is threatening to pull its 10,000 drivers off the street for 48 hours.

The NYTWA says it amounts to spying on drivers. The GPS will monitor where the cab was, at what time, how many fares were picked up, when the cab went off duty, and how much money the driver made.

TLC says this will help automate paperwork, help customers locate packages left behind in a cab, and even create a safer environment for the driver by allowing a dispatcher to notice any unusual or unexpected stops by a taxi cab.

Of course, GPS will also be able to tell if a driver is taking a snooze on the job. This is not a major issue for owner-operated cabs — but the price of installing the system, estimated to be more than $5,000 plus yearly maintenance, is certainly a big deal.

The problem is that the NYTWA will have a hard time defending its drivers because to do so the group would have to admit its membership is only human. Machines don’t get tired. Machines don’t goof off. Machines are cold sons-of-you-know-what that are relentless in reporting the so-called truth.

In high tech, we always like to say we want “one version of the truth.” But the truth is more manifold than we give it credit for. One version of the truth may be useful when reporting financial numbers — and it could be critical for managing the supply chain and knowing where your goods are. But people aren’t goods.

When a cab driver pulls over and turns off the light that says he’s available, that may be the only way he can catch 40 winks because he’s been driving for 15 hours in order to pay for the gas, pay for the use of the cab, and bring some money home to the family.

Of course, cab companies believe they can dispatch cabs far more efficiently by knowing which cab is the closest to a customer. And by looking at street traffic, dispatchers can redirect drivers to alternate routes. The TLC also sees the technology as protection for the cab-riding public because there will be a display in the backseat to make sure that the driver isn’t taking them for a ride. Which, I admit, probably happens, but not as often as we think.

Here we have technology supposedly creating the perfect system to increase profits, improve safety for drivers, and deliver better service for the customers. What could be wrong with this picture?

The TLC is trying to foist machine-like standards onto human behavior. GPS is great at tracking people, but what they can’t do is cut a person some slack. That never figures into the algorithm.

As I write this, the drivers were meeting with the taxi commission. But even if they dodge the GPS bullet this time, it’s inevitable that technology will win out. The allure is too strong. You see, people may eventually tire of fighting the relentless intrusion of technology into their lives. But machines don’t know how to say “no mas.”

P.S. If you don’t want to be tracked, simply place a coffee cup full of shredded tinfoil over the GPS antenna. That should do the trick.