Taxis To The Rescue

In August, an enterprising taxi service in the United Kingdom introduced a safe Pokemon Go option: for less than $30, players were driven around the best Pokemon hunting spots around Manchester. In the beginning, the taxi service placed three cars on Pokemon duty; a few days later, 12 taxis were available to Pokemon players. The drivers were all properly trained in the ways of Pokemon Go so that they could chat with their passengers and even provide them with tips on how to play the game.

Unfortunately, the rising number of traffic accidents involving Pokemon Go and distracted drivers continued to climb, and thus Niantic and Nintendo decided to release an update that detects the traveling speed of players. If the speed is greater than 30 miles per hour, no Pokemon creatures appear in the smartphone display. In the past, the speed detection update would allow players to indicate that they were passengers, but that is no longer the case.

Unfortunately for the Manchester taxi service offering Pokemon tours, driving continuously at 30 miles per hour is not possible in all parts of the city. Prior to the inauspicious update, the British cab company had even considered decorating some of its cars with Pikachu, the adorable Pokemon mascot. Nonetheless, the taxi drivers who are skilled at Pokemon can still drive passengers directly to Pokemon Gyms and other secret spots they know about.