CCTV feed could cut wait at taxi stands
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Stuck in a taxi queue that is hardly moving?
Relief may come soon from a system of closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras at taxi stands feeding "live" images back to cab despatch centres, which can direct cabbies to where fares are waiting.
Home-grown information technology company Stratech Systems is devising such a system in response to a call by the Media Development Authority (MDA) for industries to design innovative business solutions.
It is distributing $12 million for 15 such innovations, among which is Stratech's "Dynamic Vehicle Allocation System". Stratech executive chairman David Chew said the system, which he claimed will be a world first, will be installed at 50 taxi stands, mostly in the Central Business District, for a start. It should be ready for trial in nine months. He said of the current problem: "Taxis may be waiting at a vacant stand while commuters queue in vain elsewhere."
More than just feeding images of taxi queues back to taxi operators, he said, Stratech's system would be smart enough to adjust to changes in numbers of waiting commuters and cabs arriving.
"Today's taxi despatch systems are dumb," said the Stratech chief, who has begun talking to the taxi operators.
Ms Tammy Tan, spokesman for ComfortDelGro Corp, Singapore's largest cab company, said: "We believe a taxi queue monitoring system will help our drivers pinpoint areas where there is higher demand and have in fact been exploring such a system ourselves."
She added ComfortDelGro was "encouraged" by the MDA's support of such an initiative and would seek to work with it on its development.
SMRT Taxis' senior manager of customer relations Eunice Lui said initiatives that will enhance taxi services for customers are welcome.
Industry observers, however, said they did not see anything compelling about the system. Property firm executive H.Y. Loh, a 51-year old regular cab commuter, is sceptical. She said the system would work in bad times, "when cabbies going to taxi stands are at least assured of business". But she is less sure it will work when good times return, because more people will be taking cabs then
Cab companies may also not back Stratech's system fully, since doing so will hit their call-booking revenue. After all, commuters in taxi queues often resort to phoning for a cab, said Ms Loh. But Mr Chew said that if Stratech's system works, "it will ensure a continuous flow of taxis".
(The above article was extracted from The Straits Times home section - 23/10/2008)
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like the cabbies will want to sacrifice the booking fees leh.
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Originally posted by FireIce:
like the cabbies will want to sacrifice the booking fees leh.
I thought cabbies dont get even a cent from the booking fee? -
Hmmm... Sounds like a feasible idea. And about the booking fee, I think the cabbies get the bulk of the booking fee. Because one of them told me that they pay a monthly fee to use the TV screen thingy on their cab to accept/reject bookings. So I guess they'll would be able to keep the booking fee for themselves.
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Originally posted by jayh272416:
I thought cabbies dont get even a cent from the booking fee?wah.... u thought wrong loh.......
they get a cut from the booking fee definitely
but i think the cut is real miserable
so the more they want to wait for bookings -
these days still got queues at taxi stands meh?
i thought it's taxis waiting for passengers now.
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Originally posted by maurizio13:
these days still got queues at taxi stands meh?
i thought it's taxis waiting for passengers now.
fri/weekend nights. 9pm-11.30pm.
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Originally posted by sinicker:
fri/weekend nights. 9pm-11.30pm.
I got a simpler solution to queue problem, you don't even need to invest any money.
Impose a $5 or $10 surcharge on fri and weekend, 9pm - 11:30pm.
You will cease to see queues during this time.
Everything in Singapore is easily solved using PAP's doctrine.
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A waste of money .... i alway knew where the Q is , all in my head , anytime anywhere .
I " Intentionally " avoid those areas , why ?
If every cabbies go that spot , then where got " ON-Call " for me ?
This antic from LTA is to make commuters happy , but in the end , what will happened ?
Same , no taxi !!!
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The question is not whether we know where's the human traffic is , it's a question of money !!!
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One clear example ...
Tekka area , 9pm , 1000's of people wating for a cab home . Pax waiting for taxi .
In CBD area , 100's of taxi q-ing everywhere , every taxi stand u can name ? Why the contrast ?
It's just less than 5km in radius , why like that ?
Money !!!
Alot ? No alot , just $3.00 is the difference .
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The center can dispatch, but will the cab go there anot?
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CCTV loses to PCCTV
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aiya this time only good for ulu areas e.g. zoo, airport, tanah merah ferry, jurong island, checkpoint, expo.... town forget it lah... no impact on waiting time... in fact, if the alert on ulu areas works well, town may have long pax queuing than before...
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where and when are many paxs q for taxi in town? 8pm to 12pm just outside CBD e.g. serangoon, beach, scotts, rocher 9pm to 1030pm inside CBD solution??? surcharge! ...haha $1 surcharge for 8pm to 12pm just outside CBD change evening peak to 5pm to 10pm 20%.. why? now before 8pm, taxi wait for pax... after 8pm, pax wait for taxi... clearly a mis pricing exist... just my opinion lah... some pax dont mind waiting 1 hour but dont want to pay any surcharge... nothing wrong also... but not me... as a pax, if i take taxi, i dont want to wait... if must wait, take cab for what?
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In fact .... Evening peak hour should start at 5pm up to 8pm .... then 8pm to 9pm interval , in soccer we called it first half ... give commuters a breathing space , without any peak hours , then 9pm start to 10.30pm , second half start again , peak hour strike .
Then u'll see Serangoon Road got people waiting for you or not ?
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why don't they just put erp there.. for the human not the cabbies
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....why would any commuter want to be monitored by CCTV while waiting in queue when most of the cabbies DO know where the taxi stands queues are and just waiting around for booking?
... truly a waste of money and really not solving the fundamental problem.
I suggest a better use of the $$$ to put A/C for taxi stands ;)
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Originally posted by youyayu:
why don't they just put erp there.. for the human not the cabbies
Ah hahaha...