Credit card processing company Square is rolling out a trial of its payment platform in New York City taxicabs using iPads with custom cases as payment terminals, the New York Times reports. The system will be outfitted in 30 cabs to start, with the main benefit being ease of use. Passengers can swipe their card at any time during their journey, sign the screen with their finger, and then have a receipt emailed or texted to them.

squaretaxi

Instead of the traditional blaring screens, these taxis will be outfitted with Square’s latest hardware — an iPad encased in a black metal sleeve that is connected to a credit card swiper. The screen displays a slick Apple-like design of New York too, showing information about your location, fare and route.

Megan Quinn, Square’s director of product, said in an interview at the company’s San Francisco headquarters that taxi drivers around the United States were some of the company’s “most loyal customers,” often swiping people’s credit cards on their phone after a ride. But in New York, where tight regulation limits drivers, Square had to come up with an alternate solution.


In addition to the new taxi initiative, Square has also introduced a new Register app for retail stores. The app lets brick and mortar merchants fill up their app with pre-priced items, and allowing merchants to wirelessly print receipts and open a cash drawer when a purchase is made. Additionally, Square has included an extensive analytics feature into Register.

The new app and Square also features in-depth analytics, allowing merchants to segment consumer payments data and transactions. The dashboard provides a glance of basic sales information and recent transaction history, including the number of payments, subtotals, tax, tips, refunds, account deposits, etc. It also shows several interactive data sets, breaking down sales by month, days of the week, time of day, and even size of payment. Merchants can access and explore these analytics when they log into their Square account online as well.

Square is now processing $4 billion in payments per year, double what it was processing in October 2011.

Top Rated Comments

ArtOfWarfare Avatar
144 months ago
And I have an interview for a position on their iOS dev team tomorrow night - so excited!
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Joz3d Avatar
144 months ago
i wouldn't want to touch one after 50 thousand others have before me....

gross..... :p

What do you, use gloves outside all the time when using an ATM or OPENING DOORS?
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
xionxiox Avatar
144 months ago
i wouldn't want to touch one after 50 thousand others have before me....

gross..... :p

So you must hate touching an ATM. ;)
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
RoboCop001 Avatar
144 months ago
Every time I see "Square" I think SquareEnix. :D
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
lavem Avatar
144 months ago
This stuff is awesome. I wish they could come up with chip and pin hardware for the UK/Europe so we could see these kind of solutions. Card swiping is so old fashioned :p
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mrsir2009 Avatar
144 months ago
The photo of the register looks slick.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

maxresdefault

Apple Announces WWDC 2023 Event Taking Place June 5 to 9

Wednesday March 29, 2023 9:58 am PDT by
Apple today announced that its 34th annual Worldwide Developers Conference will take place from Monday, June 5 to Friday, June 9. Like WWDC 2020, 2021, and 2022, WWDC 2023 will be an online event for the most part, and it will be open to all developers at no cost. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Apple will provide online sessions and labs, which will allow...
iPhone 15 Pro Buttons CAD Leak

iPhone 15 Pro Low-Energy Chip to Allow Solid-State Buttons to Work When Device is Off or Out of Battery

Wednesday March 29, 2023 1:54 am PDT by
The iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max will use a new ultra-low energy microprocessor allowing certain features like the new capacitive solid-state buttons to remain functional even when the handset is powered off or the battery has run out, according to a source that shared details on the MacRumors forums. CAD-based render of new solid-state buttons on iPhone 15 Pro models The source of this rumor is ...
CarPlay Phone Call

General Motors to Phase Out Apple CarPlay Starting This Year in EV Transition

Friday March 31, 2023 8:43 am PDT by
General Motors (GM) will phase out Apple CarPlay and Android Auto in its vehicles starting this year, shifting to a built-in infotainment system co-developed with Google (via Reuters). GM owns Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, and GMC in the United States. It will stop offering Apple CarPlay and Android Auto starting with the 2024 Chevrolet Blazer, which goes on sale this summer. The company plans ...
iPhone 15 Pro Multi Purpose button Mute Switch Feature Green 2

iPhone 15 Pro Rumored to Feature Multi-Use Action Button Instead of Mute Switch

Wednesday March 29, 2023 7:28 am PDT by
iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max models are rumored to feature a customizable Action button like the Apple Watch Ultra, according to a MacRumors forum member who leaked accurate details about the Dynamic Island on iPhone 14 Pro models last year. The source claimed the Action button will replace the Ring/Silent switch that has been included on every iPhone model since 2007. They did not...
iOS 16

iOS 16.4 Now Available for Your iPhone With These 8 New Features

Friday March 31, 2023 8:55 am PDT by
Following six weeks of beta testing, iOS 16.4 was released to the public this week. The software update includes a handful of new features and changes for the iPhone 8 and newer. To install an iOS update, open the Settings app on the iPhone, tap General → Software Update, and follow the on-screen instructions. Below, we have recapped eight new features and changes added with iOS 16.4,...
iOS 17 on Phone Feature

Three New iOS Features Coming to Your iPhone Following Apple Music Classical

Thursday March 30, 2023 7:13 am PDT by
With the Apple Music Classical app and an Apple Pay Later early access program now available, the list of previously-announced iOS features that have yet to launch is beginning to shrink. However, there are still a few features we are waiting for. Below, we have recapped three more iOS features that are expected to launch in 2023, including an Apple Card savings account for Daily Cash,...
apple mixed reality headset concept by david lewis and marcus kane

Kuo: Apple Mixed-Reality Headset May Not Appear at WWDC as Mass Production Pushed Back Yet Again

Thursday March 30, 2023 4:50 am PDT by
Apple has again pushed back mass production of its mixed-reality headset and the device may not appear at this year's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo today said. Apple headset concept by David Lewis and Marcus Kane In a tweet, Kuo explained that Apple "isn't very optimistic" about whether the headset will be able to create an "iPhone moment." As a result,...