If you’ve ever thought your New York City taxi driver was too talkative, the taxis there are about to get a whole lot nosier. The screens in NYC taxis are now going to start asking passengers how much money they make. That’s a bit presumptuous!

It’s part of a new initiative by the Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) to start getting to know their passengers better. The surveys will also ask fares whether they’re traveling for business or pleasure, and what they like, and dislike, most about cabs.

“In 2011, any business tries to learn as much as it can about its customers in order to serve them better,” TLC Commissioner David Yassky told the New York Daily News. “There’s no particular agenda behind most of these questions.”

One planned use for the questionnaire is to ask passengers about whether the roof light makes sense or not. The TLC wants to know if it adequately convey when the driver is on duty. The TLC will use the responses as part of an upcoming consideration of whether the roof light should be redesigned.

The survey will also quiz passengers about their driver, like if he knows where he’s going, and if he’s talking on the cellphone. Considering nearly every taxi I’ve taken in New York the driver has been having an ongoing conversation the whole time with someone on his mobile phone earpiece, I expect the answers to be off the charts on that one.

Pay your fare, take a survey! City cabs to quiz riders about income, travel habits & ride experience [New York Daily News]

Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.