PPA Takes Stab At Uber With New Smartphone Payment Technology

By Steve Tawa

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - A new smartphone taxicab payment application is about to hit the streets of Philadelphia. It'll be available in 1,400 of 1,600 cabs operating in the city that use VeriFone's taxi meter technology system.

The mobile app enables you to pay for taxi rides with a tap of your smartphone, according to Jim Ney, Director of the PPA's Taxicab and Limousine Division, "the app can be downloaded free from the usual app stores and such for iPhones and Androids."

He says the ePay app allows users the convenience of storing credit card info and tipping preferences during taxicab trips.

"And the receipt at the end of the trip would be stored in the phone."

Way2Ride also exports your receipts for expense reporting.

The PPA and the vendor, VeriFone Systems, the maker of Way2Ride, also are working on the technology and logistics of using the app to hail a cab.

"That is basically what the Ubers, and the Sidecars and the Lyfts do."

You may also be interested in these stories:

In:
• KYW Newsradio 1060
• Uber
• Philadelphia