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NYC Taxis Getting New Technology To Help Visually Impaired

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork / AP) - Some New York City taxis are getting technology to help visually impaired riders make sure they're not being taken for a ride.

WCBS 880's Rich Lamb On The Story

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Visually impaired passengers will be able to use a card to activate the technology that will, in turn, give an audio readout of the fare, WCBS 88o's Rich Lamb reported. Then they will be able to pay by credit card if they so choose.

Former Gov. David Paterson, who is legally blind, was present for the announcement Tuesday in front of City Hall.

"One way it will change my life, it will be the first time that I've ever used a credit card in a taxi," Paterson told reporters.

He said he has often suspected that cabbies asked him for a higher fare than was on the meter, but he had no way to prove it.

"I know I gave a taxi driver a $100 bill once and I knew he knew it because I didn't complete my second step out the car and he took off," Paterson said.

The new technology will be installed in about half the city's yellow cabs in the coming weeks.

The company that created the software is planning to install it in taxis in Chicago, Boston, San Francisco and other cities.

What do you think of the new technology? Please share your comments below.

(TM and Copyright 2012 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2012 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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