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Touch a screen to hail a taxi
By Xu Wenwen |
September 3, 2009, Thursday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
SOON you will be able to touch a "smart" screen and summon a taxi to 100 "intelligent taxi stops" to be set up in Hangzhou this year.
Two pilot stations have been operating since September last year.
Touch screens are connected to a terminal computer platform that can identify a taxi's location and direction by GPS installed in the taxi. The platform will send messages about waiting passengers to the GPS of the nearest cab.
The system aims to reduce traffic congestion and pollution caused by taxis cruising around without passengers. Drivers can wait in special areas instead of driving around for fares.
"Because taxis are a key part of public transport, they are a useful weapon in battling traffic problems," says Wang Guoping, Hangzhou Party secretary. "When taxis are not available, people drive their own cars more and congestion gets worse."
The successful test of two pilot stations last year encouraged the government to invest 500,000 yuan (US$73,180) to spread the system around the city with 100 stops.
Media reports say that 8,065 taxis are operating in five main districts and more than 30,000 drivers in shifts carry around 600,000 passengers a day. That's around a quarter of the daily total using all public transport.
Still, it's hard to get a taxi during rush hour and early evening.
"All the cabs seem empty but drivers were rushing to change shifts. I waited for half an hour and still had to take a bus," says a Shanghai tourist surnamed Tan.
The smart touch screen system is also designed to be user-friendly for seniors. The system is fixed on a 2-meter-high board displaying a map of the nearby area; moving taxis are shown as dots - green ones are available, red ones are occupied.
In 2010 and 2011, the local traffic bureau plans to expand the system to airports, train stations, major malls, supermarkets, hotels, restaurants, schools, hospitals, residencial areas and business areas.
Two pilot stations have been operating since September last year.
Touch screens are connected to a terminal computer platform that can identify a taxi's location and direction by GPS installed in the taxi. The platform will send messages about waiting passengers to the GPS of the nearest cab.
The system aims to reduce traffic congestion and pollution caused by taxis cruising around without passengers. Drivers can wait in special areas instead of driving around for fares.
"Because taxis are a key part of public transport, they are a useful weapon in battling traffic problems," says Wang Guoping, Hangzhou Party secretary. "When taxis are not available, people drive their own cars more and congestion gets worse."
The successful test of two pilot stations last year encouraged the government to invest 500,000 yuan (US$73,180) to spread the system around the city with 100 stops.
Media reports say that 8,065 taxis are operating in five main districts and more than 30,000 drivers in shifts carry around 600,000 passengers a day. That's around a quarter of the daily total using all public transport.
Still, it's hard to get a taxi during rush hour and early evening.
"All the cabs seem empty but drivers were rushing to change shifts. I waited for half an hour and still had to take a bus," says a Shanghai tourist surnamed Tan.
The smart touch screen system is also designed to be user-friendly for seniors. The system is fixed on a 2-meter-high board displaying a map of the nearby area; moving taxis are shown as dots - green ones are available, red ones are occupied.
In 2010 and 2011, the local traffic bureau plans to expand the system to airports, train stations, major malls, supermarkets, hotels, restaurants, schools, hospitals, residencial areas and business areas.
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