New N.Y.C. Livery Cabs Won't Have to Have TVs There has been plenty of turmoil over the city's proposed fleet of 18,000 new livery cabs, which will be allowed to pick up street hails in northern Manhattan and the four other boroughs starting later this year. But there is one place where the new cabs may make a lot less noise: their back seats. Those bleating miniature television screens - a standard annoyance of yellow taxi rides - would not be mandatory in the new livery cabs, under a preliminary plan expected to be unveiled in February by the Taxi and Limousine Commission. 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. Riders in the existing yellow taxis can also expect some changes: this week will be the last for the default $2, $3 and $4 tip options that appear in about half of the fleet whenever a credit card fare is below $15. On a quick ride, some passengers would tap for a tip that could amount to nearly half of the cost of the trip. Taxi officials said they had received complaints from a few concerned citizens. "Our job is to look out for the customer," Mr. Yassky said. A default tip setting that can be 50 percent of the fare is just a little too high. Instead, no matter the fare, taxi screens will suggest tips of 20, 25 and 30 percent. As before, passengers can enter their own tip using a calculator. The average tip in a taxicab is about 18 percent, according to the city, and a majority of passengers who pay by credit card use a preset option for their tip. Still, the suggested tips, which are determined by the taxi television manufacturers, remain higher than those in other cities. VeriFone, for instance, offers options for 15 and 18 percent in other American cities, but not in its 6,600 New York cabs. Creative Mobile Technologies, which handles the rest of the New York City fleet, eliminated its 15 percent suggestion in late 2010. VeriFone agreed to drop the $2, $3 and $4 options after the taxi commission conveyed customers" complaints. The 20, 25 and 30 percent defaults are already used in Creative Mobile Technologies cabs and for any VeriFone fare above $15. A VeriFone spokesman declined to provide specifics on how the amounts are determined. While the changes may placate some passengers, cabbies are likely to be less than thrilled. They already lose 5 percent of the total fare to credit card fees. "It's the tip money that will put us above the minimum wage after many long hours driving," said Bhairavi Desai, a founder of the New York Taxi Workers" Alliance, a cabbies" group. People don't realize that the tips are often what makes the difference Mr. Yassky, the taxi commissioner, said that passengers could always choose to tip above the recommended amounts. "We certainly encourage passengers to tip generously," he said. We think the 20, 25, 30 options are generous tips. Some other, more popular conveniences of yellow taxis will be required in the new livery cars, including credit card readers and a standardized fare. And in an attempt to prevent a price war, the city plans to propose that the metered rate for the new livery cabs be equal to the fare for yellow taxis. The details may change as owners, drivers and passengers weigh in, and it could be months before the rules are formally approved.