Vending in NYC Taxis?

Assorting mini-vending units with what sells best in convenience stores, two young entrepreneurs aim to sell small treats in yellow cabs.

Two New York University students won a citywide contest for new business ideas by proposing the ultimate convenience—vending machines in taxis.

The Taxi & Limousine Commission needs to approve the program before it could happen. And assortment, pricing and payment details still need to be worked out, according to the New York Post. But Brian Shimmerlik, one of the co-owners of Taxi Treats, told the paper they’ll cherry pick what’s vended from the best-sellers lists of convenience stores—items such as snack bars, energy drinks, gum, mints and pain relievers.

It seems like an idea made for fast-paced Manhattan, where minutes matter—where even a quick stop into Duane Reade could make a difference.

And The Lempert Report is glad that fatty or messy snacks aren’t the first thoughts of what to sell in the taxis because we tend to eat quite enough already. According to the USDA Agricultural Research Service, 90% of Americans eat between meals and consume twice the number of daily snacks as the populace ate three decades ago.

The possible assortment also suits concerns about not dirtying the passenger section of the cabs, which would rile the drivers. It looks to us as if the fledgling Taxi Treats entrepreneurs are making some correct early decisions.

Ride on!