GPS Is on a Rocky Road with Cab Drivers

Employees in many industries get very nervous when new technology shows up. Factory workers worry about machines taking over their jobs; data processors fear that their numbers will shrink in favor of automated systems; and phone operators contend against efficient, though lifeless, answering services. GPS has met with a similarly icy reception at the workplace, as employees are wary of their managers gaining the ability to scrutinize their every move. Perhaps nowhere is this resistance more pronounced than in the taxicab industry.

What’s the Problem?

You might think that taxi cab drivers would welcome the addition of GPS trackers to the other equipment in their vehicles. Here are some of the benefits that GPS provides for drivers:

• Shortened emergency response time in the event of a breakdown


• A way to counter claims by passengers of unsafe driving or circuitous routes


• More efficient managing of fleets, resulting in more business for cab drivers


• Quick recovery of stolen cabs by police

Despite these advantages, many cab drivers don’t want the technology added to their cars—some so vehemently that they are willing to take the issue to court. Drivers are concerned that:

• Tracking will result in needless questioning if a driver takes a detour to avoid traffic or an accident, leading to a longer overall trip


• Constant monitoring of a cab is a violation of privacy rights


• In general, tracking will restrict the freedom of drivers to make route decisions without scrutiny by customers and officials

Court Decisions

Courts that have decided taxicab GPS cases have issued rather contradictory decisions. In a recent prominent case, a driver had his license taken away by the city of New York after GPS data showed that he overcharged customers for trips. The accusations led to a back-and-forth series of convictions and reversals, centered around the question of whether the city could legally monitor the driver’s actions without a search warrant.

The current court decision upholds the right of the city to track taxi cabs, stating that the concerns about overcharging are reasonable and validate the use of GPS. Whether courts in other states will agree remains to be seen, and the confusion that is already visible suggests that a federal court decision is on the horizon. Cab drivers in Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and other large cities are also opposed to tracking by city and commission authorities.

Taking Things Into Their Own Hands

Some disgruntled cab drivers have been caught using illegal GPS “jammers” to obscure the signal transmitted by their vehicle’s device. In Melbourne, Australia, one driver pled guilty and authorities stated that they suspected many more were falsifying their GPS location data in order to secretly make extra money on the roads. These jammers are fairly easy to find and purchase, and they affect far more than just the transmitter inside the cab—they can disrupt the signals of surrounding navigation devices, emergency response units, and even air traffic control systems.

Keeping Fleets Safe and Accountable

While GPS tracking draws definite lines between the interests of managers and employees, it is highly likely to stay as an important part of any efficient fleet’s operation. In general, courts seem inclined to grant employers wide permissions to monitor their equipment and employees as long as they are on the job. Employers can protect themselves from litigation by ensuring that tracking ends with business hours, and that they fully inform all employees about tracking policies in use.

Here is just a sampling of the wealth of benefits that a system like a taxi, city bus, or trash collection fleet gains with GPS:

Vehicle Theft Prevention/Recovery	An activated tracker leads police directly to a stolen vehicle before it can be scrapped for parts
Employee Accountability	Managers know when an employee fails to follow a prescribed route, extends a paying passenger’s ride, or drives recklessly
Passenger Safety	A hijacking or mechanical failure can be instantly detected with a deviation from route
Efficiency	Reassigning individual vehicles based on proximity and availability saves time and fuel
Legal Protection	Companies can back up their fleet’s activity against claims by customers of irregular driving.

Cab drivers may not like knowing that a commissioner or manager is watching their movement on a computer monitor somewhere, but they will probably have to get used to the idea, judging from the majority of court decisions. Employers, on the other hand, will have to take great care not to exceed the legal limitations of this powerful tool. Tracking an employee on his lunch break, failing to inform employees when they are being tracked, or allowing tracking data to fall into the hands of a third party can lead to criminal penalties and very high fines. As when learning how to use any piece of new technology, all parties involved must exercise caution and consideration for one another.

GPS Is on a Rocky Road with Cab Drivers