Improving Taxi Services In Cities: A Proposed Model

Research Problem

In the metropolitan areas, the services provided by the taxis are significantly important. The operational efficiency of the taxi is not satisfactory due to the limitation of on demand pick up facility. The demand of modern community is the development of the taxi dispatch system which provides pre-arranged pick up facilities on the demand of the customers. “The innovation is required in the field of taxi services. In the transport system the flexibility and comfort can be achieved by using the taxi services” (Wang, 2015). The information system is required to know the location of the taxi and booking of the taxi according to the requirement. The quality of the taxi services can be improved with the use of internet and android mobile applications. The customers can give rating to the services provided by the taxi. The positive experience of the customers will result into happy customers. “The social media platform gives the new platform to increase profitability of the taxi industry” (Yang, 2007). The loyalty towards the customers helps in raising the satisfaction of the customers. It helps in providing competitive advantage to keep the demand of taxi ahead of the competitors. There are five working principles to enhance the performance of the taxi services which are classified as the committed drivers should be employed, the operators and drivers should always remain in touch, the right tools should be used for operations, the taxi services should be deployed on the online platform, and the medium chosen for local marketing. The global positioning system should be used in the management of the taxis. The long waiting queues can be minimised with the availability of taxi on the demand of the customers. The traffic network management is the key consideration which should be focused to develop an innovative application for enhancing the performance of the taxi services. The improved taxi services help in bringing a change in the lifestyle of the people.

The innovation is required in improving the present condition of taxi services in the city. The changes are required in the laws for establishing improved quality of taxi services. The current working of the taxi transportation services is facing the problem of availability on the demand of the customers. The long waiting queues have been seen on the taxi stand for getting the taxi services. The current system is unable to track the real time location of the taxi, customers, and drivers which increases the threat to security. No tracking of the taxi can result into the chance of occurring illegal activities in the town.  The factors which are responsible for affecting the quality of service provided to the customers are classified as weather condition, delays due to the traffic management, and the distance between the destinations.

The current structure of the taxi services does not provide the facility of insurance. The surge pricing makes the taxi services affordable for the common people. The safety measures should be undertaken for the female passengers. There is a risk associated with the loss of confidential information of the passenger such as credit card details. The availability of the smart phone is the basic necessity to use a taxi application.

• Why the administration of the taxi service required in the city?
• What is the satisfaction level of the customers?
• What is the function of the GPS system?
• How the traffic can be managed?

Research Questions

The purpose of the research is to improved accessing of the taxis on the demand of the customers, the administration of the taxi service, keeping track of customer and driver location, and analysis the satisfaction level of the customers. The research study helps in analysing the current situation of the taxi services provided to the customers. “It helps in making aware about the gaps in the taxi services to be improved for future references so that good taxi facility can be provided to the customers” (Tang, 2017). It helps in analysing the behaviour of the taxi drivers towards the customers. The factors which are responsible for managing the taxi services are affordability, availability, attitude, and accessibility.

From the research, we have examined that the quality of taxi services can be improved by extending the booking period of the taxi. “The customers should be provided with 24 hours facility to book the taxi” (Chen, 2014). The quality of the services can be improved by improving the safety measures, conducting of the taxi drivers, and taxi availability on demand. “The attributes which should be focused in improving the taxi services are booking of the taxis, minimizing the call rate, availability of taxis, and managing the database for the drivers and the location of the taxis” (Qu, 2009). The major problem of the taxi services is seen in the developing countries because the demand of the taxi services, increasing at a faster rate than expectation and availability of the taxis. The major factor which is responsible for the increasing growth of the taxi demand is the increasing rate of population. “The research study through the medium of the questionnaire will focus on the public transport mode, behaviour of travelling, travel purpose, use of transport, daily average number of trips, details of origin and destination, and the travel time” (Janeiro, 2011). The reviewing of the technological innovation in infrastructure which support real time communication and GPS system to provide high quality services to the customers in dispatching of the taxi. The double queue model is generally preferred in arranging the taxis on the taxi stand. The following diagram shows the option available for the taxi drivers. One is standing in the waiting time and providing services to the customers on their demand and second is roaming in the street to provide pick up facility.

There is no proper standard followed in the arrangement of taxi on the taxi stand. The model should be proposed which provides the choice to the taxi drivers to switch their service modes according to their requirement and circumstances. They can choose to roam freely in the street, service providing on the taxi stand, and dispatching of services from the waiting queue.

Transportation is the communication medium between the movement of the people in the organized manner. The public transportation is required to satisfy economic, social, and environmental need of the customers. The management of the environment should also be given importance to resolve the issues of noise, congestion, and pollution. There are three types of tariff system used in the taxi services which are classified as distance tariff, zone tariff, and unit tariff. The price of the trip in the distance tariff system depends on the trip length which can be measured in kilometres. The fare of the taxi will subsequently increase with the distance covered by the taxi. The distance between the destinations should be known to get the exact figure of the ticket fare. The price of the fare is not fixed so it becomes inconvenient for the customers. The unit tariff system is the simplest tariff system. The cost of the trip is independent of the length of the trip. There are five working principles to enhance the performance of the taxi services which are classified as the committed drivers should be employed, the operators and drivers should always remain in touch, the right tools should be used for operating, the taxi services should be deployed on the online platform, and the medium chosen for local marketing. The public transportation system can easily handle the unit tariff system. The price is fixed for the trip. The unit tariff system is not successful for the short trip. The zone tariff system divides the area into smaller regions which are called as tariff zone. The cost of the trip depends on the destination point. The price for the particular zone is fixed. The counting of zone tariff helps in calculating fair amount of the trip to the customers. The quality of the transport system depends upon the four parameters which are classified as affordability, acceptability, availability, and accessibility.

Purpose of the Research

From the research, it has been identified that changes in weather can affect the quality of services provided to the customers in accessing the taxi. The taxis can be made available on the demand of customers if, problem of traffic management and the maintenance of the road can efficiently configure. The regulation in the availability of the taxi helps in keeping the taxi services ahead of their competitors.

The purpose of the study is to improve the taxi services in the city. The research proposal can be prepared by focusing on the research method, areas of study, designing and sampling method sued for the research, data collection instrument, and the data analysis methods.

The purpose of the research is to improve taxi services provided to the customers. “Improving the taxi services can be improved by improving the quality of the road, accessibility of the taxi services, participation of the stakeholders, raising the satisfaction of the customers and taxi drivers, and others” (Widmann, 2011). The management of the traffic can be done by focusing on the transport agency, association of the taxi, and traffic police management.

The research problem can be studied by deploying the descriptive and exploratory research methods. The existing condition of the tai services should be studied by taking small area under the research study. “The organization of the structured interview helps in predicting the behaviour of the taxi drivers, customers, terminal attendant, and taxi association” (Wuest, 2017). The following table shows the analysis of the sampling method:

S.N	Respondents Type	Total Population	Size of the sample	Sampling method
1	Analysis of the transport office	–	3	Purposive
2.	Analysis of the taxi association	5	3	Purposive
3.	Analysis of the customers behaviour	–	135	Convince
4.	Analysis of the taxi driver behaviour	884	135	Convince
5.	Analysis of the terminal attendant	–	9	Convince

The questionnaire is the structured research methodology which is deployed in open and closed type. The scaled items should be prepared for the respondents. The method is elected according to the behaviour of the respondents. “The open ended questionnaire is used for expressing feelings, problems, and perception provided in analysing the taxi services” (Ferando, 2015). The taxi zoning should be taken into consideration for organizing the research study. The sample taken for the study should be analysed with respect to sex, working hours, occupation, monthly income, average daily cost, socio-economic status, and affordability. The research study through the medium of the questionnaire will focus on the public transport mode, behaviour of travelling, travel purpose, use of transport, daily average number of trips, details of origin and destination, and the travel time. The financial status of the customers should be compared with the amount of money spend in providing the services. The accessibility and analysis of the stakeholder attitude help in analysing the details of the feedback given by the customers.

The interview is organized for collecting primary data for the research study. The structured interviews should be arranged for collecting informal discussion of the person. The aim of the interview is to collect information about positive and the negative aspect of the current working system of the taxis and what the future enhancement needed to improve the quality of services provided to the customers. “The role and responsibilities of the stakeholders should be clearly understand to enhance the functioning of the taxi services” (Negatu, 2013). The following table shows the details of interview conducted for knowing the real situation of the taxi services:

Segment or Area	Participants	Description
Undertaken the sample from the general population	10 participants	The participants should have the complete knowledge about the taxi services
Taxi customers	10 participants	The participants should be the regular users of the taxi
Accessibility of taxi user	6 participants	The taxi is accessible by the user once in the month.
Sample taken from the taxi drivers	6 participants	The taxi drivers gives the detail of the problems faced by them in driving the taxi and providing services to the customer.

Literature Review

The observation is the method used for collecting primary data for the research study. The study of images and the real time situation of congestion in the traffic helps in giving birth to the research study of improving the taxi services. The major factor is to focus on the management of the taxi traffic to increase the affordability and accessibility of the taxi on the demand of the customers.

The data collected from the different sources require the focus to analyse the data so that the particular direction should be provided to the research study. “The analysis of the data should be performed by creating tables, frequency distribution chart, and the associated percentage” (Venkatesh, 2015). The descriptive statistics should be used for analysing the data collected from questionnaires, interviews, and surveys organised for knowing the existing situation of the taxi services.

The current working of the taxi services should be improved to keep balance between the demand and supply of the taxi. The balancing between the two helps in raising the satisfaction level of the customers which in turn improves the profit of the transportation industry. The improved taxi service system should be incorporated with the following:

• The facility of search option which helps in resolving the issue of availability of the taxi service on the demand of the customers.
• “The proper training program should be arranged between the taxi drivers and the associated assistants” (Lin, 2012)
• The agreement should be signed with the taxi drivers and Transportation Company to resolve the problem of legal issues and restricting the drivers to perform any illegal activity.
• The PLC should be equipped in the taxi by managing the direct control between the taxi services.
• The step should be taken to minimize the gap between the demand of the taxi services to the availability of the taxi.
• The terminal attendants should be employed for improving the taxi services provided to the customers.
• The profitable and unprofitable routes should be measured for improving the income of the transportation company.
• It helps in minimizing the time wasted by the customer in standing long queues for waiting of the taxi services.
• The legal workers should be encouraged
• The Global positioning system should be indulged in the taxi for knowing the current status of the driver and the customers which helps in improving the safety and the security issue.
• The control measures should be taken to have a control on the traffic management and the congestion control.
• The short routes should be searched for minimizing the duration of the trip
• The road should be properly maintained.
• Pedestrians path should be developed
• The quality of the transport system depends upon the four parameters which are classified as affordability, acceptability, availability, and accessibility.
• The price of the trip should be fixed such as which is affordable by the common people.
• The taxis should be made available on the demand of the customers which can be done by estimating the demand of the taxi in the particular zone area of the city.
• The online booking of the taxi helps in increasing the accessibility of the taxis on the demand of the customers.
• The development of online mobile application which helps in getting the knowledge about the distance of the taxi from the customer. It helps in telling the time taken by the taxi to reach to the customers. The toll free number should be provided which helps in making contact with the drivers.
• The taxi should be made available at the taxi stand and for serving to the general network.
• The GPS system helps in tracing the real time location of the taxi.
• The navigation facility should be incorporated in the taxi to overcome the problem of going to the wrong route.
• The good GPS devices should be used which provides complete network facility.

“The strength of the proposed model depends upon the intuitive use of application for promoting the sale of the business” (Chen, 2013). The application helps in providing complete details of the driver to the customers for the security purpose. The GPS system helps in tracking the current location of the taxi. “The user can pay the taxi fare by using their credit and debit cards” (Hussein, 2011). The fare can instantly split between different users travelling together in the car pool. The friendly and safe driving should be provided to the customers for making their journey comfortable without any chaos. The cars used for providing taxi services should be kept clean, new models should be used, division of cars in classes should be taken, facility of water, payment card facility, the rating system, and others. The customer reviews play an important role in improving the condition of the taxi service system because the positive feedback helps in knowing the strength of the taxi services and the negative feedback helps in knowing the weaknesses of the taxi services. The social media can be used for promoting the taxi services by indulging availability of bonus in providing services. The bonus and the other scheme help in attracting customers to adopt the taxi services. The satisfaction level of the customers should be checked because the positivity helps in increasing the growth of the business and the negativity can result into the declination.

The new taxi service system should be capable of providing insurance to the customers travelling in it. The customers should be provided with the detailed history of the drivers so that he cannot perform any illegal activity. The safety number should be provided to the customers especially female customers in the time of emergency. The accessibility of the taxi should be provided with the simple SMS system. The authorization techniques should be used for using the database and application. The unauthorised persons should not be allowed to use the application. The quick affordability and accessibility of the taxi helps in raising the demand of the taxi which increase the profit of the enterprise. The adoption of the proposed new model helps in optimizing the customer satisfaction and the profit of the taxi industry.

Theoretical Framework

What is the counter measures should be taken to keep congestion control and traffic management?

The improved taxi services help in raising the satisfaction level of the customers to a high extent due to the increasing accessibility within the affordable amount of the price of the taxi fare. The barriers of accessibility can be resolved with the increasing taxi services within the zone according to the demand in that zone. The mobility of the customers gets increased and helps in minimizing the long queues of passengers. The monitoring of the traffic can be easily manageable. The future challenges can be resolved with the improving facility and balancing the demand and supply. The GPS system helps in tracking the real time location of the taxi drivers and the customers. The families can together enjoy the outing which helps in developing healthy social relationship. The implementation of the proposed system provides the following benefits:

• Helps in providing the taxi services at a much faster rate
• The balance can be developed between the demand and supply of the taxi.
• The use of trained drivers helps in minimizing the risks of accidents and congestion in the traffic.
• Short route can be undertaken by making use of navigation system which helps in minimizing the fuel usage.
• The affordability of the taxi to the common people by implementing the schemes of car pool.
• “The government policies and schemes should be focused for minimizing the risks of illegal activities” (Salanvo, 2016).
• The implementation of the insurance policies helps in raising the satisfaction of the customers.
• The clear guidelines of the insurance should be provided to the customers.
• The instant distribution of the fare price among the customers of the car pool.
• The female customers should feel safe while using the taxi services.
• The details of the drivers should be provided to the customers to restrict them to perform any illegal activities
• The GPS system helps in keeping the eye on the working of the taxi and real time location of it.
• “The installation of the proposed system helps in developing the proper schedule of the taxi drivers which helps in raising the availability and minimizing the chaos between the drivers” (Govender, 2014).
• The customers are provided with the pick and drop facility with the minimum amount of charge and helps in providing them comfortable journey to their destination

The regulations in providing improved taxi services help in raising the satisfaction level of the customers. The insurance facility and the GPS system attract the customers to make use of taxi services instead of other transportation services. The pick and drop facility brings a new revolution in the taxi services because it helps in minimizing the time wasted spent in the long waiting queues for the taxi. “The major step is to keep the balance between the supply and demand of the taxi which can be possible by analysing the zone area requirement of the taxi” (Perkins, 2013). It helps in estimating the total requirement in the city. The inclusion of the GPS system and the navigation system, and the affordability of the taxi at minimum price raise the demand of the taxi. The population is moving towards the taxi transportation system instead of preferring to the bus and cab because it provides the pick and drop facility at the door step. The availability of the emergency number raises the confidence and trust of the female customers on the taxi services. The personal safety is the major reasons for the female customers to go for the trustworthy taxi services. The agreement should be signed between the drivers and the transportation company to restrict the drivers to perform any illegal activities. The proper management and scheduling of activities helps in minimizing the problem of congestion. From the research, it had been concluded that the proposed system helps in optimizing the profit and the future of the transportation company because it will result into the dependency of the customers on the taxi services.

Conclusion:

The adoption of the proposed new model helps in optimizing the customer’s satisfaction and the profit of the taxi industry. The improved taxi services helps in bringing a change in the lifestyle of the people. The positive experience of the customers will result into happy customers. The research study helps in analysing the current situation of the taxi services provided to the customers. It helps in making aware about the gaps in the taxi services to be improved for future references so that good taxi facility can be provided to the customers. The quality of the services can be improved by improving the safety measures, conducting of the taxi drivers, and taxi availability on demand. The major factor is to focus on the management of the taxi traffic to increase the affordability and accessibility of the taxi on the demand of the customers. The barriers of accessibility can be resolved with the increasing taxi services within the zone according to the demand in that zone. The mobility of the customers gets increased and helps in minimizing the long queues of passengers. The balance should be maintained between the supply and demand to raise the satisfaction level of the customers which in turn improves the profit of the transportation industry.

References: 

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