Cabbies, TLC Discount App That Lets Riders Track Shortest Route

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - There's a new app for taxi riders, aimed at preventing passengers from getting taken for a ride.

The free app, called Taxi Turvi, uses GPS technology to let riders see if the cab driver took the shorter, cheaper route at the end of the fare.

Riders use the app by clicking 'start' at the beginning of the trip and 'stop' at the end. The route traveled is displayed in red, while any shorter routes are marked with a blue line.

But Taxi and Limousine Commission Chairman David Yassky told the New York Post that it's better to rely on a savvy New York cabbie than an app like Taxi Turvi.

Yassky notes that GPS devices are blind to weather, traffic jams, sudden construction and other gridlock-inducing issues.

A cab driver told WCBS 880's Paul Murnane that the math is against any cabbie who would try to run up the meter.

"The sooner you get the fare, drop them off and get another one. That's how you make money, short trips. The more trips you have, the more money that you can make," the cab driver said.

But another cabbie said he's fine with passengers utilizing the app.

"I don't mind, I just want to make money. That's it," the driver told Murnane.

The app creator said her Southern accent often led to a run-around and a higher fare. She said the app holds the cab industry "accountable."

The TLC said passengers who feel they've been ripped off should take a receipt and call 311 to lodge a formal complaint.

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