A SMART TAXI DISPATCHING SYSTEM

Transcription

1 A SMART TAXI DISPATCHING SYSTEM Ruey-Min Wang, Assistant Professor Dept. of Transportation Engineering and Management Feng-Chia University, Taichung City, Taiwan Tel: Fax: ABSTRACT In order to regulate metropolitan taxi problems and reinforce the power of security, the institute of transportation studies has launched an experimental project regarding smart taxi fleet management. This project tries to evaluate the cost and benefit issues of taxi fleet using automatic vehicle location systems in terms of fleet operation efficiency and public security. The project also reinstates the role and functionality of taxi as a mode of paratransit for metropolitan daily commuters. Functions of IC card security mechanism and technology are applied in this project for the sake of safety and license control reasons for cab customers and drivers. Currently, more than 150 taxi have participated in this project, and operation efficiency and income gain have significantly increased. Both cab drivers and riders are pleased to use the system, and the project has built its own reputation as E-Cab. So far, such a smart taxi dispatching system of ITS has positively interested most of cab fleet operators. However, the preliminary evaluation project will continue until the end of year 2000, then expansion of such a system as well as related enforcement regulation will be considered. INTRODUCTION Taxi has been considered as a mode of paratransit for metropolitan daily commuters, and it helps to amend the deficiencies of transit unreachable area and operation time. However, taxi related crime and fraud problems have irrigated general population for bad reputations of overcharging and gang crime. The institute of transportation studies in Taiwan has launched an experimental project involved in more than 200 taxi using for fleet management and IC card mechanism for fare meter. The project exclusively tries to investigate the cost and benefit issues of employing advanced technology in fleet management, and the related regulation problems of taxi fare adjustment methodology. Currently, more than 150 taxi have participated in this project, and they are equipped with Motorola DataTAC 5000 mobile data modem with control panel and set. By means of positioning function and wireless communication, dispatch center is able to match cab rider s calls with the most

2 appropriate available taxi(1, 2, 3). Dedicated management software and database are developed for fleet operation efficiency auditing, which makes each taxi owner well realized the advantage of employing this system. This pilot project will continue till the end of year 2000, and future deployment of automatic vehicle location system and IC card fare meter will be decided by the government at that time. RESEARCH GOALS This research intends to integrate current available technology such as Global Position System (), Wide Are Communication Network (WAN) and internet browser, to upgrade metropolitan taxi service and promote public consciousness on taxi security (4,5). This smart project is not to demonstrate the capability of using wireless communication in conjunction with for fleet management, but to investigate the physical need and cost of establishing such a system for operation. The research project covers various items of operation issue, for instance, vehicle side applications including cab driver emergency peddle and passenger SOS push button, fleet management center monitoring function and guest internet query access. The project has started since from January of the year 2000, and will continue till the end of the year. However, currently results have strongly recommended the usage of such a system to prevent cab crime and to increase fleet operation efficiency. The project consists of three major parts, which are automatic vehicle location (AVL) and dispatching module, smart card taxi meter module. They will be explained in detail in the following sections. PROJECT DESCRIPTIONS AVL and Dispatching Module Tentatively, the functionality of the pilot project for fleet management can be classified into three parts and system diagram is given in Figure 1: Cab Driver Applications This part includes a fraud free IC card fare meter that is a multi-function and multi-media smart card device, and driver side emergency peddle for help. These applications try to improve the conditions that have been complained about inaccurate fare charge and taxi crime. The smart fare meter with IC card will efficiently prevent fare cheating and provide printed receipt for afterwards evidence. Cab security aspect covers not only the passenger side but the driver, the module is a hard to find foot peddle installed close to the brake to provide an emergency contact link to the management center. Hence, three major hardware equipments are included in the cab driver applications. They are

3 1. Smart Card Fare Meter with Activation Security Guard. 2. Driver Emergency Peddle for Kidnapping Report. 3. Command Console for Dispatching Order and Status Report. Location Vehicle Status Driver Info. Moving Taxi Fleet Mobile Data Internet Radio D Correction ID Recognization Activation Registered Safe-Guard Taxi Fleet Figure 1. System Architecture ºÊ±± ß Safety Monitor Business Dispatch Informatio Cab Passenger Applications Passenger application modules are developed to ensure customer service quality control and crime prevention. This module also used to keep tracts of customer usage and last business record, which also can be reviewed via internet access with appropriate password and ID. These applications can be categorized into three service domains: 1. Dispatching Service : customers call for service. Dispatching center is able to identify the most feasible vacant cab for customer pick-up. A set of multi-criteria dispatching rules are developed for candidate cab priority, for example, the number of jobs have been dispatched today in order to make each driver s daily income to be equivalent. The data flow diagram is given in Figure Roadside Passenger Booking: guests catch the taxi simultaneously from the streets. As most of metropolitan cab riders are more likely to take the most closest vacant taxi, thus a special trademark of taxi fleet needs to be invented for usage promotion. In this project, a membership oriented program for participation record is designed to promote the usage of this fleet. Once participated guests are on board, unique membership number will be

4 transmitted to register for record booking. Customers are always able to review individual trip record with service cab license number attached. 3. Window Side Emergency Buttons: Passengers press to alert the management center for incident reporting. To prevent taxi crime or kidnapping incidents, a seal broken push button is installed at both the back window sides for easy access. Once the function is triggered, trajectory of the specific vehicle will become more frequent and color will be highlighted. A special alerting message then will be sent to on-board unit for confirmation, and incident will be reported to specific security company for solution if appropriate response is not received at a certain time period. On Board Unit Data Flow Register Time System Start 6 times/sec Empty Stop Sending Rest Button No Available? Strart to Rest Dispatch Process Engages Car Available Ready to Run Status Lock & Dispatch Confirm Job Taking? No or No Answer Respond NO Unlock Status First Priorty NO Unlock Status Passengers Enter Start Time Transmit During Service 12 times/hr Passengers Exit End Time Transmit Shut Down 6 times/min Figure 2. Dispatch Data Flow Diagram

5 Fleet Service Center Applications This portions includes the following duties and routine tasks: 1. Monitoring fleet locations and current operation status. 2. Maintaining and updating individual vehicle database for job allocation. 3. Maintaining and updating individual riding membership status. 4. Responsible for transmitting dispatching command to respective vehicles. 5. Monitoring un-ordinary vehicle trajectory and red-tag vehicles. 6. Automatic call service for taxi dispatchment. The integrated system employs the Motorola DataTAC 5000 mobile data system for wireless communication purpose, and the system data flow diagram is given as Figure 3. Taxi Fare IC Card IC Smart Card Fare Meter ¹w ý w qªº³b²zµ{ Ç Reader Printer ID, Mileage, Fare, Flag1 Mobile Data Terminal MDT Optional Radio Out Radio In Emergency Button Driver Emergency Foot Peddle Passenger Card Reader Figure 3. On-Board Unit Data Flow Diagram Smart Card Taxi Meter Module Other than the vehicle locationing and dispatching module, the smart card taxi meter plays an important role to improve current taxi service level and to prevent unauthorized taxi operation. As conventional taxi fare meter can not provide either receipt printing function nor meter security purpose, taxi is very easily used for as a tool of crime commitment. To avoid unauthorized vehicle operation and security enforcement purpose, an IC card mechanism of providing driver information and fare parameters is employed in the advanced taxi meter

6 module. Without accurate password for activating fare meter, the specific vehicle will be monitored until it comes to a complete engine stop. The meter is equipped with the following functions, and the data flow diagram is given in Figure 4: 1. Fare Calculation: fare is computed based on riding time, idle time and traveling distance in different time periods. 2. Fare Display: current fare charged is display in both audio and video modes for handicapped riders. The fare receipt is able to show the calculation parameters such as fare formulation, time and distance traveled, etc.. 3. Smart Card Security: the IC card serves as the key to activate the fare meter and provides the fare computation parameters. It will be issued by the department of motorized vehicles and preloaded with authorized commercial driver information. 4. Kidnapping Free: the fare meter with the on-board unit should be activated at the same time while vehicle is in operation. If not, either the fare meter can not be activated, nor minute-wise trajectory function can be deactivated. This function prevents vehicle from kidnapping and unauthorized usage. The data flow diagram is given as follows: 5. Receipt: the fare meter is able to produce a printed receipt with trip information and service driver. This receipt is automatically printed when job is completed finished with time and date stamped. 6. Temporary data storage: driver operation duration and statistic information can be collected to store in the IC card memory. The IC card provides a mean to store statistic data that can be used for operation analysis. SYSTEM BENEFITS AND CONCLUSIONS In order to reinforce public safety and reconstruct taxi management regulations, modern technology is employed in this project to highlight the awareness of public concerns. The purposes of this project is not only to regulate taxi safety, but also to reduce the severe air pollution generated from vacant running taxi. Overall, the government, taxi drivers and passengers can individually reach the win-win status, where system cost can be lowered down and higher service level of taxi can be provided. Individuals can be more easily to take metropolitan taxi service with worrying about meter fraud and related crime, and thousands gallon of gasoline can be saved from unnecessary taxi touring around for passenger hunting. This project provides a positive image of taxi service and a good action to counter-strike related cab crime. The system has the following characteristics that should be further promoted to encourage metropolitan taxi ridership

7 1. New fare meter to sustain the fairness between passengers and drivers. 2. Reinforce commercial taxi regulations to expel part-time taxi drivers. 3. Increase vehicle ridership and decrease air pollution from empty taxi for public health. 4. Use probe vehicles to collect roadway traffic information for city traffic purpose. 5. Reinforce taxi security to promote public safety and reduce crime rates. 6. Provide a WWW access for easy service and customer satisfaction. 7. Membership recruitment program to sustain fleet that can be more easily regulated by DMV. Printer Fare Meter IC Card Data MDT 6 Times/Sec Service Center Card In? No (*Condition 1) (Flag=1) 12 Times/min (Flag=0) Data Match H No (*Condition 2) (Flag=1) 12 Times/min (Flag=0) Ready to Dispatch *Data GID BMilage BFare Rate *Condition 1 GNo IC Card Presented ( Suspect Vehicle ) *Condition 2 GIC Card Data Doesn't Match (Security Fraud ) Figure 4. Driver Security Data Flow Control

8 REFERENCE 1. Wang, R.M. (1999), Commercial Vehicles Monitoring and Routing System, Paper of 6 th World Congress on Intelligent Transport Systems, 8-12,November, 1999, Toronto, Canada 2. Wang, R.M. (1998), A Real Time Fleet Management System Via GIS/ Platform, Paper of 5 th World Congress on Intelligent Transport Systems, 12-16,October, 1998, Seoul, Korea 3. Wang, R.M. (2000), A Web-based Automatic Location System Paper of 6 th AATT conference, May 30-31, Singapore 4. Zhao, Yilin (1998), Vehicle Location and Navigation Systems, Artech House. 5. Drane and Rizos (2000), Positioning Systems in Intelligent Transportation Systems, Artech House.