In a nod to years of griping from captive passengers, taxi officials agreed to let the owners of the new cabs decide whether to install the screens, which are required in the city’s 13,000 yellow taxis.

“With Taxi TV, there’s a diversity of opinion as to the value for passengers,” David S. Yassky, the taxi and limousine commissioner, said rather delicately. “So it makes more sense to leave it up to the taxi owners.”

Interactive chart of cultural institutions in NYC sortable by price, hour, and location.

he shrugged, it sort of fits in

The 15% tip - standard in New York City - is now unavailable, unless you go through the mental arithmetic and manual entry of the amount. But beyond the annoyance factor, there's the "you've got to be kidding" element. For a commodity service like a point-A-to-B cab ride, what would rate a 30% tip? (Let alone a permanent "30% tip" button in the interface?) The lesson: details matter. One change to one button in the interface changes the experience from delightful to annoying, leaving the rider feeling taken advantage of.