It's about time someone came up with a tech-savvy way to determine the optimal taxi route.
As hard working as they are, some cab drivers may take a slower, more congested route to run up the fare, but the free Taxi Turvi app strives to help passengers judge whether their drivers are taking the best course possible.
The smartphone app, which is currently only available on the iPhone, plots the cab route with a simple push of the start button.
Using Google Maps, Taxi Turvi provides a side-by-side comparison of the cab drivers' path and the ideal course for the quickest, cheapest taxi ride.
The free app also allows users to input a driver's permit or cab number to post a review or share details of their trip with future travelers.
Taxi Turvi app creator Audrey Overstreet said she was inspired to create the tool after she experienced driver deception first-hand, the New York Post reports.
"We wanted to invent something that was helpful to the world,” Overstreet told the Post. "The app will bring accountability to an industry that is notorious for duping unsuspecting tourists."
While a number of city-specific apps -- including New York's automatic cab hailer ZabKab and San Francisco's ride-sharing alternative SideCar -- have popped up in recent years, Taxi Turvi is not limited to a certain metropolitan area since it draws from the iPhone's pre-installed GPS. Thus, the app will work wherever Google Maps does. (Sorry, Apple Maps, you've already lost that battle).
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