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New Yorkers can now pay for cabs using ultrasound

New Yorkers can now pay for cabs using ultrasound

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New York City Taxi TLC (STOCK)
New York City Taxi TLC (STOCK)

Electronic payment company VeriFone's Way2Ride app lets users wirelessly pay for cabs using ultrasound. The app relies on Zoosh, a payment system first demoed two years ago, to make the payments. From within a New York cab, Way2Ride users can simply tap a button in the app to generate an ultrasonic signal and pay for the ride. When the ride is over, the payment will automatically be deducted from the user's pre-defined payment method. You can also set a default tip amount before traveling, and receipts will appear within the app.

Other features include cab hailing, fare estimation, and the ability to report a lost item after leaving a cab. Way2Ride will only work in New York for now, but VeriFone says it'll expand to a fleet of over 70,000 taxis worldwide soon. You can pick it up for iOS (App Store) or Android (Google Play), but there's no Windows Phone version just yet.

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