As a bunch of college kids recently proved (once again!), sometimes it can be absurdly hard to get a cab to take you from Manhattan to one of the outer boroughs. So what to do when you've been rejected for a ride? Call 311 before you forget the cab's medallion! But if you hate talking on the phone or waiting on hold, well, there's an app for that. And it's kinda slick.
As long as you've inputed your basic contact info, it takes just five quick steps for the free, ad-supported, Report A Taxi app (get it? R.A.T.?) to live up to its name. Just put in the medallion number of the offending cab (or take a pic of it), select what happened from a list of options (or write it in yourself), input when it happened, input where it happened (the app can use your current location), review your info and hit submit. Your complaint will then go to the to the R.A.T. team, who will then submit the complaint to the TLC for you. They'll even remember if you are willing to go into a TLC hearing or not.
Have you had a particularly good taxi ride? Well, the app also will let you commend a cabbie too. A few apps like this have popped up over the years, but Report A Taxi is the first we've actually downloaded to our phone. Android and BlackBerry versions are reportedly in the works.
