Flywheel is Eliminating Taxi TVs, and is Crowdsourcing Ideas for New In-Cab Entertainment System: Fly TV

December 7, 2016 - Flywheel, the mobile platform revolutionizing the transportation industry with quick, safe and affordable rides, today announces its plan to rid taxis of outdated Taxi TVs and replace them with its brand new, in-cab entertainment system, Fly TV. To do so, the company is launching a crowdsourced campaign calling on all creatives to determine features for Fly TV. The top ideas submitted will be selected and implemented into Fly TV to revamp backseat taxi entertainment and create the best possible taxi experience for both riders and drivers.     
 
While its timeline is relatively short, having only begun appearing in cabs in the early 2000s, the list is extensive for the number of qualms against taxi entertainment systems. In fact, a 2011 survey from the NYC Taxi and Limousine Commission reported that Taxi TVs are one of the worst parts of the in-cab experience. It’s not only riders, though, that are disgruntled by Taxi TVs. Drivers have also complained about the screen’s noise, tendency to overheat seats and the significant cut the installed payment systems take out of driver earnings.
 
With millions of riders occupying cabs daily, the back screen has become a goldmine for advertisers who want to capture the attention of riders. While this income helps to fuel the taxi industry at large, there’s a better way for all parties connect with riders, and Flywheel’s Fly TV is the solution.
 
Working with consumers and experts in the entertainment space, the company will create a smoother, more enjoyable experience for both riders and drivers. Fly TV’s landing page invites visitors to submit original ideas as well as vote features in from a list of options. These include the following:

• Internet Capabilities: Mobile HotSpot, Google Search
• Entertainment & Music: Sync with Netflix and Spotify
• Travel & Dining: Traffic Updates, Sync with Yelp and Open Table Reservations
• Charging Station: iPhone and Android USB Charger

The campaign will run until the end of the year, after which, Flywheel will collect all ideas, evaluate and build into the Fly TV platform and roll out in all Flywheel cabs in New York City by Spring 2017.  
 
“The average taxi ride is 15 minutes–that’s a lot of time to spend sitting in the back of a cab, and it feels twice as long with a blaring screen in your face,” said Oneal Bhambani, COO and President of Flywheel. “We want to eliminate that annoyance, and provide a new platform that gives riders the option to curate their own taxi ride experience. Fly TV will do just that. We’re very excited to hear ideas from professionals across the creative industries and work them into our platform to further modernize and improve the quality of rides for taxi riders and drivers.”
 
Earlier this year, Flywheel became the first company to enter New York City as a technology provider since 2004, breaking the 12-year duopoly that has blocked smartphone technology from the largest taxi market in the world. On track to launch their TaxiOS platform into 1,000 NYC cabs by the end of 2016, Flywheel will provide New York taxis with a singular device to streamline and modernize all services–payment, navigation, dispatch and more.
 
Flywheel is now operating in seven cities including San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle, San Diego, Sacramento, Portland and New York City.
 
To submit to the campaign, visit www.flywheel.com/fly-tv and to learn more about Flywheel and download the app, visit www.flywheel.com.

About Flywheel:
Headquartered in Redwood City, Flywheel is a technology platform for the taxi industry that connects passengers with licensed, high-quality drivers. Flywheel’s TaxiOS replaces the antiquated meter, payments and dispatch technology with a single device. The Flywheel mobile app allows passengers to order taxi rides in real-time, track arrival via GPS and automatically pay their fare via their smartphone device.
 

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