FTi CEO Mark James Rolls out Taxicab Software in San Francisco, Las Vegas

CEO of FTi, Mark James, is finding creative ways to use technology to improve a system that has remained largely unchanged amid the development of the internet, geographic mapping systems, and smart phones.

The company first developed Roll Deals, an interactive advertising and point-of-sale system for cabs, which was purchased by Verifone in December of last year.

James’ new venture with FTi, unveiled another program, RideIntegrity, which uses cloud based proprietary software to provide regulators of the for-hire industry real-time information such as vehicle locations, driver routes, and fares and integrates this information with companies that provide smartphone dispatch and taxicab e-hailing services. The software will streamline the regulation of the for-hire industry and enhance consumer protection. James sees the software benefitting all those involved, from fleet operators and regulators, to drivers and their passengers.

Several city transportation authorities have been quick to jump on board. The San Francisco Municipal Transit Authority (SFMTA) voted unanimously on Tuesday to adopt policies that allow for the use of RideIntegrity in its 1700 cabs throughout the city.

The software is also being tested by the Nevada Transportation Authority in a pilot program, with several hundred taxis equipped with RideIntegrity software to collect data for up to a year. James calls the pilot program a “major stepping stone in proving the efficacy and versatility of using real time data to maximize current resources to effectively regulate, manage and mitigate common problems in the for-hire industry.”

RideIntegrity promises to modernize the transportation system. In recent years, taxi companies have struggled to keep up with mobile applications and tracking technologies used by competitors such as Uber, Lyft and Sidecar, transit alternatives which are not overseen by city authorities but have grown quickly as a result of their high-tech capabilities.

San Francisco and Las Vegas are the first cities to implement the RideIntegrity technology. However, other transportation authorities, including those from New York, expressed interest in the software following James’ presentation at the International Association of Transportation

Regulators conference. “We firmly believe that this technology will assist regulators throughout America to better regulate the taxicab industry and it will transform the taxicab experience for consumers,” James said.