VeriFone has launched Way2ride, a mobile app for New York City taxi passengers.

Currently available for iOS and Android smartphones, Way2ride enables riders to pre-load payment information and preferred tip amounts. Once inside the cab, passengers can pay at any time with a tap of their phone. Digital receipts are stored in the app and accessible online later.

Way2ride is VeriFone’s first commercial deployment of the Zoosh technology, which utilizes the speakers and microphones of smartphones to exchange encrypted data between devices, without NFC.

Way2ride is built on VeriFone’s open API cloud platform, which currently supports taxi and for-hire vehicle implementations (e.g., in-taxi interactions). Future releases will address additional verticals, such as petroleum (e.g., interactions in the C-store and at the pump), says the company.

VeriFone expects to expand Way2ride acceptance throughout its network of more than 70,000 payment-enabled taxis worldwide.

[Image courtesy: VeriFone]