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Handhelds Hardware

Using GPS to Hail Cabs 156

Posted by michael from the almost-as-good-as-having-a-flying-car dept.
The Benefactor writes "The guys at The Register are running a story about using mobile phones to hail cabs in London. Using GPS technology to locate the nearest available cab and to direct it to where you call from this should make frantic arm waving to get their attention a thing of the past."
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Using GPS to Hail Cabs More

Using GPS to Hail Cabs

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  • Actually they aren't using GPS at all (Score:5, Informative)

    by Harald Paulsen ( 621759 ) * on Wednesday April 30, 2003 @07:56AM (#5842108) Homepage
    They're using GSM-based location-services that many cellphone-providers across europe are starting to provide. GSM is the european standard for digital cellphones, and you can't get an exact position, only tell which base station the caller is connected to. Therefore you can find people in the same area by matching which base-station sees which users.

  • Huh? (Score:5, Funny)

    by BadDoggie ( 145310 ) on Wednesday April 30, 2003 @07:58AM (#5842120) Homepage Journal
    this should make frantic arm waving to get their attention a thing of the past

    It's been decades since the London fog was so bad that you would need GPS to flag down a cab. They can see you on the streets. You're the tourist dressed wearing the Princess Di T-shirt with an overpriced camera around your neck jumping and waving frantically.

    A GPS signal might help them find you when you can't tell them where you are, which, for most non-Londoners (and many residents), is quite common, but it ain't about to replace flagging down the cab that you can see driving down the street.

    • I would agree with you. It seems the majority of business people call for a cab already, but those tourists...

      Go calculate [webcalc.net] something

    • Re:Huh? (Score:3, Funny)

      by BCTECH ( 540338 )
      Are you sure they are not going to hang a pink arrow over your head like in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City?

    • Re:Huh? (Score:2)

      by Cato ( 8296 )
      And of course, there are always so many cabs with their lights on wherever you are in London, particularly late at night when it's raining... The point of this is that there may be many cabs that you can't see, only 5-10 streets away - this service lets you easily contact them.

      The next step is that cabs can bid for your business, and the website acts as your agent to negotiate which one to go with, based on price, reputation, etc... But I'd settle for being able to easily get a cab even without this.
  • This is something I could never figure out in London. When I asked the concierge at the hotel to call me a cab, he/she either called a so-called minicab (usually something looking sleazy and semi-legal; never having any real meter) or informed me, that the black cabs are "just around the corner" and calling them by phone is "not possible". Tried it in many hotels, going to many destinations. I wonder what they will say now: "do you have your GPS with you, sir?"

    • Re:Black cabs and minicabs (Score:4, Informative)

      by rmolehusband ( 192640 ) on Wednesday April 30, 2003 @08:09AM (#5842201)
      Black Cabs (Taxis) are allowed to pick up passengers anywhere, i.e be flagged down. They have to pay a fair bit for the licence which allows them to do this. Mini Cabs (Private Hire) have to be booked and must pick you up from a pre-arranged location. AFAIK, there is no reason that you cannot book a Black Cab, though perhaps the hotel staff gets a better backhander from the mini cabs.

      • Re:Black cabs and minicabs (Score:2, Interesting)

        by Anonymous Coward
        You definitely can book London Black Cabs but you will often have to pay by credit card and pay a call out fee. This story is about a Black Cab company that offers this service. The probable reason that the doorman didn't want to call a black cab was the extra cost / hassle of credit card booking when you were almost certain to be able to hail one round the corner.

    • Re:Black cabs and minicabs (Score:5, Informative)

      by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday April 30, 2003 @08:18AM (#5842272)
      This is a result of a set of truely great rules about London Cabs that have evolved over centuries called the Hackney Carriage Rules.

      To be a Licensed London Black Cab the vehicle needs to be able to do some extreme things that a normal car can't do - such as do a U-turn in about a 20-foot circle. That is why all the 'Black' Cabs in London are not based on normal cars. Black Cab drivers also need to pass 'The Knowledge'

      Minicabs are a relatively recent invention (70's I think) which are NOT allowed to be hailed on the street, have much simpler vehicle rules and the drivers don't have to do 'the knowledge'. Minicabs (legal) can often be pretty grotty. Often you get unlicensed (illegal) minicabs hanging outside pubs and clubs - these can be even more dodgy.

      'The knowledge' is the about 2 years full-time work needed to know all the required addresses and routes in London. You cannot drive a London Black Cab without doing this. Becoming a Black Cab driver in London is therefore a pretty serious long term commitment.
      • Minicabs are a relatively recent invention (70's I think) which are NOT allowed to be hailed on the street, have much simpler vehicle rules and the drivers don't have to do 'the knowledge'. Minicabs (legal) can often be pretty grotty. Often you get unlicensed (illegal) minicabs hanging outside pubs and clubs - these can be even more dodgy.

        In the touristy parts, their drivers walk up to you to offer their services.
        Like in Soviet Russia, the cab hails YOU!
      • This is a result of a set of truely great rules about London Cabs that have evolved over centuries called the Hackney Carriage Rules.


        You forgot the law that states a Hackney Carriage must have a bail of hay available for the horse [apexcars.co.uk].

      • To be a Licensed London Black Cab the vehicle needs to be able to do some extreme things that a normal car can't do - such as do a U-turn in about a 20-foot circle. That is why all the 'Black' Cabs in London are not based on normal cars. Black Cab drivers also need to pass 'The Knowledge'

        'The Knowledge' was featured in an amusing BritWit Movie [imdb.com] shown in the States once in the 80's as part of the 'Mobil Summer Showcase' syndicated series. (Available on Region 2 DVD only)
    • Really? I rather suspect it depends on which hotel you're at. Whenever I've wanted a cab at a London hotel, the concierge has flagged down a proper black one for me. Thats admittedly generally the posher end of the market though, where guests might be offended by a tatty minicab. But then I've only done this when I'm there at a conference or event; staying in a hotel in London when I might as well get the tube home would be silly.

  • Yes, but be careful... (Score:4, Funny)

    by Frightened_Turtle ( 592418 ) on Wednesday April 30, 2003 @07:58AM (#5842123) Homepage


    You really should remember that before you push the call button, that you have your Hitchhiker's Guide with you! And keep in mind that you can't find Babelfish just anywhere...

  • Less Exercise (Score:4, Funny)

    by maukdaddy ( 244282 ) on Wednesday April 30, 2003 @07:59AM (#5842128)
    ahhh yes...good to see that technology is enabling us to take every bit of exercise out of our lives :)

    All you need now is a Segway to haul your ass to the cab you didn't have to wave your arm to hail!
  • Here at UCSD there is a project going on to use GPS and 802.11b access points to make all busses aware of where the others are and predict wait times and improve efficiency. We have working prototypes but not all of the kinks have been worked out. It's a promising technology though.
    • I can't find the link to the project webpage but I know it uses this [calit2.net] network. Anyone find a link? I'm interested in looking into the project's current status.
  • There are literaly thousands of cabs driving around, i never have to wait more than a couple of seconds before i am in a black cab.

    This seems like a waste of time to me and another way to pay off the londons congestion charge (look it up americans and quiver)

    On the other hand if they could tie this into some sort of escort service and have loverly young ladies delivered to your location then by all means bring it on.

    Akira

  • And still... (Score:2, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward
    A black man still can't get a cab!

  • Sure (Score:2, Funny)

    by anthony_dipierro ( 543308 )
    No one cares about the right to privacy of cab drivers.

  • Clever (Score:1, Informative)

    by Anonymous Coward
    It's very clever, and the first commercial use of Mobile Phone location technology (in the UK, at least). However, the problem is cab drivers just don't want to know.
    The original plan was to get 4000 drivers on board by the end of March. Apparently they are still around the 500 mark which means the revenue stream is not as healthy as they would like!

  • GTA III (Score:5, Funny)

    by DigitalDragon ( 194314 ) on Wednesday April 30, 2003 @08:09AM (#5842194)
    Grand Theft Auto III, anyone? :)
  • So what's the advantage here?

    Your average consumer is going have 5 or 6 cabs pass them by the time they figure out how the damn thing is going to work.

    Plus, once you find the cab, you then have to dig out the phone number.

    My experience with Cabs is that you are either 1 block from a main road they frequent, or so far out in the sprawl that you just call the least seedy one in the phone book.

    • Taxi != minicab. London taxi drivers have to pass "the knowledge", a test of route finding and locations which is meant to be quite hard, minicab drivers on the other hand are effectively anyone with a valid drivers liciense working for a local firm. I, for one, would rather take a taxi given a chocie, as the drivers tend to know where their going and take a pride in the internal condition of their vehicle.

  • We're being spied upon (Score:5, Funny)

    by 91degrees ( 207121 ) on Wednesday April 30, 2003 @08:11AM (#5842211) Journal
    Every Londener knows that trhe worlds most efficient intelligence network is the london taxi drivers. they all have what is known as "The knowledge". This sinister sounding piece of mental conditioning is actually a requirement before the driver gets a taxi licence.

    Now we're giving this sinister shady organisation access to more technology to control our lives. Not only do they aspire to contain all knowledge, but they also want to knwo where each and every one of us is at any time.

    Fortunately we have resistance. The London Underground is fighting against these evil beings. The LU provides a service that prevents mobiles from being used in this way.

  • problem? (Score:3, Insightful)

    by (trb001) ( 224998 ) on Wednesday April 30, 2003 @08:11AM (#5842216) Homepage
    Is this really a problem? I've never been to London, but any city I have been to, the cabs were almost frantic to pull over and let you in. In New York, I've had cabbies pull over and ask if I wanted a ride when I was just standing there.

    This seems like a solution waiting for a problem...

    --trb
    • I agree with this! If it aint broke, dont fix it!

      But actually I have had problems getting cabs in certain parts of cities at certain times of nights...
      But I doubt me having GPS would convince them any more to come to that part of the city, and I would be afraid to pull that out there!

    • Re:problem? (Score:4, Funny)

      by EvilTwinSkippy ( 112490 ) <yoda@NosPAM.etoyoc.com> on Wednesday April 30, 2003 @08:21AM (#5842296) Homepage Journal
      (Rampant half-cocked conspiracy theory)

      No it's the company's management trying to figure out a way to eliminate cabbies. Think about it, if they don't have to loiter waiting for a fare, and instead are directed from point to point by central dispatching, you can theoretically do the same work with fewer cabs.

      Not only that, but cabs are drawn to people of credit sufficient to be carrying mobile phones.

      Except of course:

      • They are already making money hand over fist
      • They DON'T pay the cabbies when they aren't collecting fares
      • From what I understand, the cabbies pay for fuel
      • Mobile phones are so cheap they are practically giving them away with breakfast cereal.
      So my theory doesn't make sense from a business standpoint. But what a great conspiracy though...
    • The taxi industry is so over-regulated in London that there is a shortage of taxi drivers. Most other cities have the opposite problem. It is almost impossible to find a genuine cab anywhere in London after 10pm. There are plenty of minicabs, but they are forbidden from picking up passengers without being ordered by phone first. There are also plenty of dodgy guys with cars hanging around outside late night bars and clubs, but every now and then the police clamp down on them, leaving thousands of people to

    • Re:problem? (Score:5, Informative)

      by awol ( 98751 ) on Wednesday April 30, 2003 @09:17AM (#5842689) Journal

      Is this really a problem? I've never been to London, but any city I have been to, the cabs were almost frantic to pull over and let you in. In New York, I've had cabbies pull over and ask if I wanted a ride when I was just standing there.

      You need to know about "cabs" in London. First there are two kinds, proper cabs, or "black cabs" as they are often called (actually hackney carriages but I digress). Currently these require a specifically authorised vehicle with disabled access, insurance, regular maintenance, etc, etc and above all else a licensed driver who has passed "The Knowledge" by which they should be able to know any street within a 6 mile radius of Charing Cross. Yes, and that is pretty much actually true, get in the back, give an address and they will be able to get you there without referring to a map (it's pretty incredible), for this you pay a premium price.

      Then there is mini-cab scum, which can basically be a bloke and a car, and that's about it, you negotiate price with varying rates of success based on time of day, distance, number of passengers, liklehood of one of the passengers despoiling the vehicle and blood alcohol level of both driver and passenger. There is virtually no regulation of this service. Very scary

      In between these two are more reputable mini-cab firms, not the knowledge of the black cabs but not quite so dodgy as the bloke on the street, but here to there is a lack of regulation and a sliding scale of reliability and competence from just above dodgy to as good as a black cab but without passing the knowledge (for a variety of reasons, some not so good).

      I have cabbed it all over the world from the grease covered toyota's of Jakarta, to hailing some guy with his groceries and wife and kids in a Lada in Moscow, to cabs of varying kinds in London. Black Cabs for all their faults offer the best service in the world (and much comedy value if one gets the right cabbie who would like to share with you his view on the current state of the world).


    • In New York, I've had cabbies pull over and ask if I wanted a ride when I was just standing there.

      I don't know if it's true anymore, but it used to be that the number of taxicabs in New York was artificially capped.

      Getting into the business required that one purchase a "medallion", whose price I had heard was about US$100K. (Sounds a lot like the market for liquor licenses in many places.)

      The pressures of this distorted market resulted in the rise of alternative "limousine services", IIRC.

  • Then, punters are automatically connected to an available cab driver in their area before the prospective passenger tells the cabbie exactly where they are.

    So, the passenger tells the cabbie where they are?

    I would prefer a cabbie who is able to figure that out on his own...

  • Is this really necessary? (Score:3, Insightful)

    by Hellkitty ( 641842 ) on Wednesday April 30, 2003 @08:15AM (#5842248) Journal
    I'm all for utilizing technology to simplify and improve our quality of life, but come on. Walk your ass out to the curb and raise your arm over your head. If you rather spend 10 minutes fucking around with your GPS just so you can find the 2 cabbies who are geeky enough to use it, have fun. More power to you. But as far as I'm concerned, it's the equivalent of coding 10,000 lines just to produce "Hello, World".
    • Actually you spend one minute phoning a number which connects yo to the closest cabbie so you can tell them exactly where you are.

      Their system knows when a cab is on call or not and knows where the cab is thanks to GPS or similar technology (There is a company called Addison & Lee who operate higher class courier and transport services which have decided to not use GPS since London has lots of narrow streets in which GPS is not reliable)

      So you have a phone, on most networks, and you dial a number. You
      • Addison-Lee do use GPS. I use them around once a week (their standard service, with the MPVs) and every car I've been in has a dash mounted GPS navigation system. Admittedly it isn't much use in the centre, but out in the wilds of South London it appears to work OK.
        • Yes but this isn't the system they're using for tracking back at the base - the GPS is in car for navigation. The other system is used with telemetry to remotely track each vehicle.
    • Though most of my co-workers would gladly rig such a system up, using a GPS to call a cab wont be useful until you have a "Call Cab" button on your cell phone or something equivalent.

      Now if only they had a "call pizza" button.... Then you could call a pizza to your car while you are stuck in traffic.

  • cabs? that's nothin' (Score:4, Funny)

    by AssFace ( 118098 ) <stenz77.gmail@com> on Wednesday April 30, 2003 @08:18AM (#5842265) Homepage Journal
    Just keep me posted when the hookers start using this technology - then you'll see some jumping up and down and arm flailing on my part.
  • When you stumble out of a club with your "crew" it is quite fun calling a cab company and trying to remember where it is your going so you can tell them... Then as you wait for your cab to get there, you can hang out and take pictures and such [jdhodges.com]. When the cab does make it there you can wave your hands, jump in that puppy and have even more fun, maybe you'll even find out your cab drivers name is Fuzzy. Once you make it back to the hotel you can watch an amazing animal planet where crocidiles and cheetahs batt

  • Of course that's not the problem... (Score:5, Interesting)

    by dreadpiratemark ( 450962 ) on Wednesday April 30, 2003 @08:28AM (#5842343)
    Of course that's not the real problem. At least here in DC, I play a constant game of hopping in and out of cabs until I find a driver willing to take me to my neighborhood. It's not tough at all to hail a cab while you're downtown, the problem is finding a driver who is willing to take you to a neighborhood that he considers dangerous (or at least unlikely to result in a return fare). You can get that cab downtown/in the tourist areas real easy - but just watch how fast he'll work to get you out of his cab if it turns out he doesn't want to drive where you've asked him to take you. What we could really use is a system that not only tells a driver where you are but lets him know in advance where you'd like to go. Then I wouldn't have to spend a half-hour boucing in and out of cabs until I find a driver willing to take me home.

    • Re:Of course that's not the problem... (Score:2, Informative)

      by Anonymous Coward
      This system puts you in touch with the nearest driver and then you talk to him to tell him EXACTLY where you are and where you want to go. At this point he could turn your job down (although the rules in London say they HAVE to take a job if they are hailed).

    • I play a constant game of hopping in and out of cabs until I find a driver willing to take me to my neighborhood

      Try getting a london cab to go south of the river after 9pm, even with tariff 3!! Just goes to show ya, ya don't wanta live south of the river :-)

    • In NYC hailed cab drivers must drive you wherever you request, at least within the city limits. If they don't you can write down his/her hack license number, which also must be posted, and report the person. Maybe you could look into getting the same law (or maybe cab company rule) put into place in DC.

      The bigger problem in NYC is racial discrimination. Many times an empty cab will pass a black person hailing them. Let's say you hail the cab with this new system, but when he arrives he takes off becau
    • The TLC (Taxi and Limo Commision) passed a rule making it a violation to not take you where you want to go (within the city limits of course...)
    • What part of town are you going to? I've never had any problems in the DC area. Of course, most of my rides have originated from Dulles or National.

  • Great Entertainment (Score:4, Funny)

    by Maverick2219 ( 566653 ) on Wednesday April 30, 2003 @08:31AM (#5842374)
    This will be great if it comes to the states. I'd love to see the drunken rabble at around 2AM in major cities trying to figure out how to operate these things when they can barely figure out how to operate their arms at that time.

    • I'd love to see the drunken rabble at around 2AM in major cities trying to figure out how to operate these things when they can barely figure out how to operate their arms at that time.

      They only have to operate a phone. I use Zingo every now and then, you just phone the number and you get put through to the nearest cabbie. It's as simple as that. No special GPS units for the passenger (they're for the system to work out where the cab is, they work out where you are from your mobile phone). So, even drunke

      • While you might be able to operate technology while inebriated, come to Boston and stand on Boylston street for a good show. Belligerance and idiocy rolled into one convenient package, and there's no way in hell half those people could operate anything.
  • Where this would be useful, IMHO, is if your company had an account with Zingo [zingotaxi.co.uk] and you could hail it knowing that you didn't actually have to foot the bill yourself (rather than wait for a CabCharge one). Sadly, they don't actually do corporate accounts, so I still can't see why you'd want it.

    Their FAQ is pushing the ability to get one at night, or when it's raining, without having to stand outside, which is fair enough, I guess. If you're a jessie.

  • What would be really useful (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Zog The Undeniable ( 632031 ) on Wednesday April 30, 2003 @08:40AM (#5842422)
    ...is if GPS then tracks the cab to ensure American tourists aren't taken from Heathrow to central London via Slough.

  • Could be more appealing to the minicab operators? (Score:3, Informative)

    by scottme ( 584888 ) on Wednesday April 30, 2003 @08:45AM (#5842454)
    In London, only the licensed black cabs are permitted to to pick up passengers who hail them on the street. But there are also armies of more-or-less-dodgy minicab operators who work on the basis that the car is pre-ordered, by the customer calling the minicab company's office, who dispatch a car to you by radio.

    This new system sounds like it would be ideal for the minicab operators, because a punter calling in and using this service is in effect ordering the car as opposed to hailing it on the street, yet the turnaround time should be a lot quicker.

    The black cab drivers are going to hate this...
    • This is also why, when stumbling around drunk in Dublin or London, you should wave for a cab with your mobile to your ear.

      This way, a hackney can pull over and let you in. If a garda (cop) questions, the hackney can just say that you called on the phone. You "hang it up" and agree.

      I pulled it off about 50% of the time for a year -- that is, I'd get a hackney to pull over and pick me up, even though it was against the law because I didn't call first, about half the nights I got tanked on Guinness.
  • This is not a good thing. All it allows is for cab companies to serve more customers in the center of the action and not in the outskirts where it's already way to hard to hail a cab.

  • In American New York... (Score:4, Informative)

    by nlh ( 80031 ) on Wednesday April 30, 2003 @09:05AM (#5842608) Homepage
    ....cab drivers hail you!

    And I'm not kidding either. The streets of Manhattan are so thick with yellow cabs that it rarely takes more than a wink or a nod for them to pull over.

    It's gotten to the point where cabbies will see me walking out of my building a block away, honk their horn a few times to get my attention, and then I can respond with - literally - a tilt of the head or a slight shake and they're off.

    So in NYC, this isn't going to do much good most of the time.

    HOWEVER -- there are those insane times (i.e. shift changes, rain, randomly) when there are no cabbies anywhere. Perhaps then?

    • You've never tried to get a cab when it's raining. Or on New Years' Eve, when you have to pay them at least a $20 pick-up fee just to get them to let you in the cab.

      Maybe you're confusing Manhattan with Queens and Brooklyn and all those "black cabs" -- Cadillacs and Ford LTDs with no meters: you have to haggle and agree on the price in advance or get totally screwed when you arrive. Similar to London, these "unlicensed" cabs can't be hailed on the streets in Manhattan; they can only be called on the phone

  • Now, really... (Score:5, Funny)

    by Faust7 ( 314817 ) on Wednesday April 30, 2003 @09:08AM (#5842629) Homepage
    Zingo uses mobile technology to put passengers directly in contact with black cab drivers in their area that are free for a fare.

    I've heard of affirmative action, but this is ridiculous!
  • Then, punters are automatically connected to an available cab driver in their area before the prospective passenger tells the cabbie exactly where they are.

    Why do only certain football players get to use the system? (said the ignorant, yet cocky American)

  • When trying to get to Kew it STILL won't find a cab that is willing to go "south of the river".

    Technology is a wonderful thing but solving the aquaphobia of London cabbies is a harder task entirely.
    • This black cab website [londonblackcab.com] says:

      When may a driver refuse a fare?
      The driver is not obliged to stop when flagged down, but if he does he must accept the fare unless it is over 6 miles in distance...

      This apparently is to do with the Hackney Carriage Act. It's about six miles from Victoria to Kew. So next time you're in town, walk to hyde park, flag a cab, and if they refuse to take you, place them under arrest. You'll be home in no time!

  • The real point (Score:2, Informative)

    by pj2541 ( 600359 )
    The real point is that they are charging the punter $2.56 american (1.60 Pounds, I just looked it up) for just hailing the cab!

    Then you can look forward to at least another pound for engaging the taxi, and then you can finally start paying by the mile.

    I'll wave my arms, it's free.
  • I thought that was just friendly New Yorkers waving greetings to the passing traffic.

  • ...this should make frantic arm waving to get their attention a thing of the past.

    Well, that's it. The last trace of human exercise has finally been eliminated by technology. Actually, it would have been nice if a computer could have thought up and typed this reply for me...
  • About 2-4 years ago, in one of the NY magazines, someone did a joke article about setting up a phone system where you could call a cab company and they would assign an empty car to you. The rest of the joke said that once they accepted your call, the passenger doors would not open till you called in a confirmation code on the same phone.

    Life imitates art.

  • I misread the title as "Using GPS to Hail Crabs", and I thought, no, thank you, but if I want crabs I can just find a dirty whore like the rest of the Luddites.

  • GPS in many US cell phones (Score:3, Interesting)

    by asmithmd1 ( 239950 ) on Wednesday April 30, 2003 @09:53AM (#5842991) Homepage Journal
    The FCC has mandated that all cell phone operatores be able to locate an emergency caller by the end of '06. So far Sprint and Nextel have put GPS chipsets in their phones, but only Nextel gives the JVM running on the phone access to the location data. If you have a Motorola i88s or i58s you can download [gadgeteer.org] a midlet that will track your cell phone and update a web page with your location
  • This reminds me far too much of the little blue thing over people's heads in GTA III...
  • They used an SMS message instead of a normal call.

    Here's The Guardian's story [guardian.co.uk] from back then. Not sure what happened since.

  • You've been watching too many movies. Or Braves games.

    A few years ago I accidently made a cab stop just by loitering too close to the curb in downtown Chicago. Right by the side of the Sears Tower.

    And then three more pulled up, and the drivers all got out and fought to the death over who'd get the fare. Boy, was *MY* face red when I had to inform the bloody, barely alive victor that I didn't need a cab.

    No, I made that last bit up. I've been watching too many movies, too.

  • One pound sixty?! (Score:3, Insightful)

    by psyconaut ( 228947 ) on Wednesday April 30, 2003 @10:33AM (#5843404)
    Blimey.....that's quite the convenience fee!

    Still, I guess it beats the grotty Tube.

    -psy
  • GPS is a great technology, but it's inaccurate at best. What happens when the cab shows up a block from the lazy person who hailed it. This is almost as dumb as the headline I read today about using GPS technoligy in shopping carts. Imagine trying to find carrots and ending up 7 aisles away in condoms?

  • Noooooo! (Score:1, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward
    I used to ride by people with their arms out in NYC and give them high fives as I went about my business on my bicycle.

    If they start using GPS no more high fiving the man while he waits on his cab.

    *sigh*

    It was fun while it lasted.

    P.S. - YUO FAIL IT!!!!!!!1

  • Singapore has something like this implemented (Score:4, Informative)

    by Vorge ( 26345 ) on Wednesday April 30, 2003 @11:21AM (#5843915)
    Mobile Phone operator Singtel in Singapore has implemented a range of location based services [singtel.com] since last year.

    One of the services is to get a cab. The landmarks are locations close to your current position (in most cases within a 100m) :

    "You will receive a SMS listing the landmarks near your location for your pickup location. Select your preferred pickup location and confirm your booking. You will receive a SMS indicating the taxi number and estimated arrival time once the booking is successful."

    Another good feature is busses. You can type your destination, and it will direct you to the nearest busstop, and give you the busnumbers and transit locations. Unfortunately they have implemented this for only one of the three main busoperators. Still it is a good start.

  • Hmm.. and possible help against racial profiling (Score:4, Insightful)

    by bigattichouse ( 527527 ) on Wednesday April 30, 2003 @11:23AM (#5843941) Homepage
    Many African Americans get left behind by cabbies avoiding "any black male" in certain parts of the city... By using this system, a caller would be able to signify whether they were actually *picked up* by their cab, and possibly assist in reprimanding cabbies that aren't doing their job... or pointing out (publically/online) which companies don't provide the necessary level of service. (By having a proxy website dispatch the calls)
    • Of course the government and law enforcement would probably use any of this technology in a malicious way eventually too. How long until passive GPS/cell signal is built into driver's licences and ID cards in the interest of "improving infrastructure" somehow and then turned into a vast monitoring system?

      And if it is all privatized, so much the better. Private companies are allowed to do things as citizens that the government wouldn't dream of.

  • sure it will (Score:2, Redundant)

    by maxpublic ( 450413 )
    this should make frantic arm waving to get their attention a thing of the past.

    Sure it will. Unless you look black, or hispanic, or middle-eastern....

    Max

  • Simple, everyday interaction (Score:3, Funny)

    by blair1q ( 305137 ) on Wednesday April 30, 2003 @11:25AM (#5843968) Journal
    In-cab system: 2 fares available
    Cabbie: Cab. Show phones.
    In-cab system: 1. Motorola Micro-TAC. 2. Sony Ericsson P800.
    Cabbie: Cab. Delete 1. Show route to 2.
    ...

  • this is impractical (Score:3, Funny)

    by poot_rootbeer ( 188613 ) on Wednesday April 30, 2003 @11:33AM (#5844061)

    I already have an embedded technology called EYE which allows me to locate nearby taxicabs...

  • Perspective of an (ex) cabbie (Score:3, Interesting)

    by drsmithy ( 35869 ) <drsmithy@gmai3.14159l.com minus pi> on Wednesday April 30, 2003 @04:35PM (#5847840)
    I spent about 3 years driving cabs while I was going through Uni and even back then there was rudimentary usage of GPS to locate the nearest cab to a caller. It's probably somewhat more advanced now, but the problem is being fair to the cabbie as well as the customers. Grabbing the nearest cab the customer might be better for them, but if there's some driver who hasn't had a job for half an hour only an extra block away they probably deserve it more.

    Our system used to work like this (Black & White Cabs in Brisbane, AU):
    The area covered is divided up into "zones". Each zone has one "designated" rank in it (although there may be numerous actual ranks).
    When you enter a "zone", you "book into" it via the computer in the cab. This puts you into a queue. Any jobs that come in over the radio that are determined to be originating from that zone will be handed off the cabs in the queue, FIFO.
    If you are actually in the designated rank in a zone, you can book into the "rank zone". This gives you preference in the zone queue (ie: everyone in the "rank zone" will be serviced before anyone else in the zone queue, even if someone in the latter has been waiting longer). You *have* to be parked in the rank to be allowed to book into the "rank zone" and if you aren't you will probably be dobbed in by everyone else on it.
    If there's no-one booked into the zone where a job originates, the computer will search all surrounding zones for someone booked into one of them. If there's still no car found, it will use the GPS system to locate the nearest vehicle (it's actually a touch more complicated, but this is a rough summary).
    Thus, the GPS really only becomes a factor when you are *way* out in the sticks, because anywhere remotely busy will always have at least one cab booked into it.
    The only other things the GPS is used for is making sure cabs can't book into zones they aren't actually in (or close to) and locating vehicles in the case of emergency.

    This system seems to me to be a fair way of balancing the customer's right to quick service and cabbies' right to be able to consistently earn a reasonable income. Speaking from the perspective of an ex-driver, I don't think I like the idea of a job always going to the physically closest vehicle. I can see it starting a *lot* of arguments.

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