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."