Internet Comes to the Back of a Cab

This month, San Francisco riders have caught a glimpse of the future from the back of a cab.

It came in the form of a laptop computer as thin as a paperback novel. By last week, 10 taxis were outfitted with the technology, making San Francisco the first city to bring the World Wide Web to public transportation.

But even here, where innovation sweeps through the city as routinely as fog off the Pacific, some are perplexed by the back-seat computers. With the average cab ride lasting just 10 minutes, some people question why anyone would need to go online.

“I just can’t imagine myself in that much of a hurry to get information,” said Charles Meehan, 56, who takes taxis about once a month. “There’s a time to surf and a time to ride.”

“By the time you log on, the ride is over,” said Patrick Sullivan, 26, another skeptic.

“But then again,” added Sullivan, a freelance computer programmer, “I didn’t think cell phones would catch on either.”

This is exactly what Yahoo is saying to such skeptics. The Internet portal company, based in Santa Clara, brokered the deal with Luxor Cab Co. of San Francisco, which brought the Internet cabs to the streets.

The agreement will last four months. Time enough, Yahoo hopes, for patrons to get hooked on the technology.

“On shorter rides, people can access quick information, like check their stocks or read an e-mail,” said Luanne Calvert, a Yahoo spokeswoman. “On longer rides, like to the airport, they can be more interactive: Trade a stock, shop or write an e-mail.”

Outside, the Internet cabs are bright lavender and yellow. Inside, however, they look like any other, except for a 2.5-pound computer nestled between two armrests in the front seat, and a digital modem affixed to the dash.

The computer plugs into the cab’s cigarette lighter. A metal leash ensures that the laptop stays in the cab. The single free-floating part is a stylus. It is a plastic device, shaped like a pencil, that is used to operate the computer in place of a mouse.

On the streets, the laptop bounces with every bump. And, at certain hours of the day, the sun creates a glare that makes the screen difficult to read.

“I can see how staring at this might make some people nauseous, but it doesn’t bother me,” said Michael Barker, 27, who, recently rode an Internet cab to the last baseball game at Candlestick Park. “I’d like to see who’s pitching for the Giants and get a line on the game.”

For others, Internet cabs offer work-related conveniences.

“I’d take a cab to meetings, leave my own laptop at home, and work on the way,” said Jerry Patrick, 60, a new product consultant. “When I drive myself, it’s just wasted time.”

Yahoo won’t share the financial particulars of its deal (NEC supplies the computers and Ricochet the modems) for fear competitors will mimic its ingenuity. However, the company is considering increasing the number of Internet taxis after the four-month trial period, or expanding the technology to another city.

The San Francisco Taxi Cab Commission and other cab companies are eyeing the experiment with interest.

But installing computers “is not something we’ve really considered,” said Richard Wiener, operations manager of Yellow Taxi, San Francisco’s largest taxi company, with more than 400 cars.

Several years ago, Yellow Taxi began installing telephones in its cabs only to be outpaced by the explosion of the cellular phone market. “By the time we put them in, everyone had one, so they didn’t need ours,” Wiener said.

For now, laptop computers are still a novelty item, and Luxor officials report that many riders are responding favorably. The company is considering installing computers in as many as 30 more cabs.

“If I can offer customers something different, I will,” said Mizan Rahman, who enjoyed the distinction of driving the first Internet taxi. “Besides, with a computer in back, riders think I’m savvy, and the tips are better.”