Stealing from the blind is about to get a whole lot harder — for cabbies.
Taxis will soon be equipped with new technology that will help blind riders check the meter for overcharges and avoid credit-card fraud.
A computerized voice will announce the fare throughout the trip, alerting the blind and visually impaired upon each click of the taxi’s meter.
The riders will then follow step-by-step spoken instructions for paying by credit card by using the taxi’s touch screen.
Previously, blind passengers would have to turn over their credit card and entrust the driver to charge them the correct fare and tip — a leap of faith that many blind passengers, including former Gov. David Paterson, refused to make.
“Now I can pay by credit card,” said Paterson, who attended the ceremony unveiling the software.
It will help those with vision problems avoid getting ripped off, said Paterson, who is legally blind.
“I’ve had at times felt the fare had to be a whole lot less than what I was being charged,” said Paterson. “But I could never prove it.”
A consultant for the blind also said yesterday that she was once duped by a driver who thought he deserved a higher tip.
“I’ve even been ripped off by someone who thought a 30 percent tip was a good idea, despite what I wanted,” said Ellen Rubin.
Some 1,250 cabs will be equipped with the new units — designed by taxi-software vendor Creative Mobile Technologies — by the end of May.
Eventually, 6,600 cabs with CMT software — half of the city’s fleet — will have the programs.
Riders can either ask drivers to turn on the program or request a free swipe card from CMT, which would allow them to activate the software themselves.
At the end of the trip, the audio program will read aloud the entire bill, specifying how much of it is the fare, tolls and extra charges.
City Councilman James Vacca spearheaded the push for the new system because his father was blind.
“This issue is personal for me,” he said.