The search engine Bing is provides application that can calculate the cost of taxi if you enter the necessary data about the points of your trip. Application called Taxi Fare Calculator is developed by Ricky Brandrit to contest King of Bing Maps.
Best results are achieved in densely populated areas with detailed Bing Maps. Map service is still not as detailed as it is in Google Maps for example. The application uses average tariffs for the different towns and all you have to do is to enter two addresses. The remaining work will be done by the algorithm of Bing which will give you the approximate cost of the trip. The application includes the estimated additional costs and charges to stay in traffic lights.
With the Bing Maps contest, Microsoft is trying to promote the service API and encourage more developers to make additions to it. Only in this way the Redmond company hopes for success in a market already dominated by Google Maps and Mapquest.