The Taxi Of Tomorrow?

New York City plans on replacing all of its cabs by 2013 and is soliciting design concepts. Above is the Unicab as proposed by an Australian company.

The futuristic Unicab is all electric, has room for seven people, space for luggage and a ramp for disabled passengers. The front passenger seat is spun around, to let the rider face his or her friends. The model has LED screens on the outside telling would-be ride-sharing passengers where the cab is going and how many seats are available. The Taxi and Limousine Commission has requested proposals for designs. The winning model will likely replace most cabs by 2013.

I especially like that the driver would ride in a one-man pod, meaning no more riding shotgun on their front seat when the back seat is full.