Cabs will get backseat credit-card readers

Creative Mobile Technologies said it has signed an agreement with Boston Cab Dispatch that aims to put rear-seat, self-swipe credit card payment systems into many local cabs.

Headquartered in New York, Creative Mobile Technologies said that many Big Apple cabs are already using its service.

The company's information monitors in the back of New York cabs enable passengers to swipe their credit cards securely and complete wireless transactions in seconds; the monitor screens also can feature GPS-powered maps that passengers can control with touch-screen technology and get information about restaurants and night clubs in the immediate vicinity, Creative Mobile Technologies said.

The photo above this post was provided by Creative Mobile Technologies, and it shows a company screen in the back seat of a New York cab.

In New York, the screens can also show passengers entertainment and news content as well as ads, the company said.

In talking about Boston, Creative Mobile Technologies said its systems will allow local cabs to comply with a City of Boston mandate that requires that cabs provide rear-seat credit card acceptance capability later this year.

The company's press release described Boston Cab Dispatch as a "radio affiliation service with almost 500 member taxis comprising over 25 percent of the Boston taxi industry."

Local passengers have been able to pay cab fares with credit cards for about a decade by giving the credit card to a driver, Boston Cab Dispatch chief executive Brett Barenholtz said; one advantage of the new system is that passengers won't have to hand his or her credit card to the driver.

"You'll be able to swipe your credit card just like you do in a grocery store," Barenholtz said during a telephone conversation.

As for the screens with video content, he added, "I think people are going to like having this in the back seat."
(By Chris Reidy, Globe staff)