Lawyer seeks touch screen info

By Chen Xiaoru Source:Global Times Published: 2013-3-19 23:18:01

A lawyer has asked the local government to disclose how it collected information on public opinion before it allowed taxis in Shanghai to be equipped with video touch screens, the Oriental Morning Post reported Tuesday.

Safety concerns about touch screens in taxis were reignited last week after a woman ended up in coma after she was injured in a traffic accident while riding in a taxi equipped with the device. Police have yet to determine whether the touch screen contributed to her injuries.

Huang Dong, a lawyer with the Shanghai Push Law Firm, said that it is possible that the public was left out of the decision-making process to allow the touch screens in taxis.

"There is a possibility that the taxi companies just signed contracts with the screen owners after the authorities approved the proposal," he said.

The company that puts the touch screens in taxis, Touch Media Co, first installed the device in a Shanghai taxi in 2007.

Although the city's transportation authority ordered all taxi companies to remove the devices in 2009, it rescinded the order in 2011, the Shanghai Business Daily reported.

Huang said that the government ought to arrange public hearings on the issue because he believes the touch screens pose a threat to public safety.

He also said the law requires taxi companies to tell Touch Media to adjust the screens to ensure the safety of passengers.

An online poll sponsored by sina.com found that more than 80 percent of about 700 respondents said they want the screens removed.

Although the transportation authority has vowed to remove the screens if they do not meet official safety requirements, Huang said it would be difficult to remove the screens in a short time.

He said that removing of the screens could hurt the business of advertising companies, the screen owners and the taxi companies.

China Business News quoted an unnamed source who said that most taxi companies have signed 10- to 15-year contracts with Touch Media.

Touch Media has installed touch screens in 20,000 taxis in Shanghai, according to the company. There are approximately 50,000 taxis operating in the city.



Posted in: Society, Metro Shanghai

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