GPS system improves service of taxis

GPS system improves service of taxis

Zakki Hakim, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Dian was surprised when the taxi she had ordered arrived within
five minutes of her calling the operator. Usually a cab would
take an average of 30 minutes to reach her office in Mampang,
South Jakarta.

Such efficiency is now possible because the taxi company has
begun using Global Positioning System (GPS) technology, which
enables the operator to monitor the real-time position of its
vehicles and give orders only to the cab closest to the would-be
passenger.

As an initial step, the Blue Bird Group is using the
technology in 1,000 of its 8,100 strong fleet, in order to
increase its efficiency and competitiveness in the face of tough
competition from other taxi companies in the city, director of
the group Sigit Djokosoetono told The Jakarta Post.

He said that the company aimed to reach a 10 percent
efficiency level. Specifically, Blue Bird aims to achieve a
threefold increase on its average occupancy rate from telephone
orders -- or up from two passengers per day to six per day.

Using GPS, the company also aims to cut order time from an
average of 25 minutes to 30 minutes, to 5 minutes and 10 minutes,
he said.

Most of all, the technology is aimed at increasing the
security of taxis for both passengers and drivers, in view of
widespread taxi robberies in the city. In some cases drivers have
been killed in the process.

The technology allows a driver to send a distress signal in an
emergency situation, and in a matter of seconds the signal and
position are forwarded to his colleagues to assist him quickly,
he said.

A computer screen at the group's head office displays a map of
Jakarta, where an operator can easily locate any of its taxis
equipped with GPS. An order is then be forwarded to a machine, a
mobile data terminal (MDT) in the taxi, at which the driver
confirms whether or not he can take the order.

Currently, about 18,000 licensed taxis ply Jakarta's streets,
run by about 25 operators, while operators outside Jakarta also
send their taxis into the capital, an official from the city
administration said.

Technological expert Zatni Arbi told the Post that although
the system was not new -- similar technology has been applied in
other countries, such as Singapore -- the system was still a
smart solution that would increase consumer satisfaction and,
most of all, the safety of taxi drivers.

He said, however, that the operator had to take into account
the circumstances of the city's traffic -- meaning that although
a particular taxi might be geographically closest to a would-be
customer -- it did not necessarily mean that it would be the
first to reach him, if traffic congestion were heavy.

Sigit said that the Blue Bird Group was investing about Rp 15
billion (approximately US$1.72 million), including satellite
rental, vendor fee and installation of MDT units in every car.

To maximize the use of the system, especially the MDTs, which
are worth Rp 10 million each, the drivers must attend intensive
training sessions, he said.

In Dian's case, however, her taxi driver seemed to be none too
familiar with the gadgetry, as he needed to pull over for a
couple of minutes to read the manuals before he could turn off a
beeping MDT that demanded his confirmation, she said.

Tono, an operator at Kosti taxi, said he was aware of the GPS
system used by Blue Bird but did not know if his company would
follow suit. "I think it would be good if we also had a similar
system: It would help us a lot with our work."