Exploring the Effect of the Telephone/Online Booking System on Taxi Service: Case Study of Suzhou City in China

摘要

Recently more innovative booking techniques have been introduced into the taxi market, and they have profoundly reshaped the modern taxi service. In this paper, the actual influence of the telephone/online booking system on the taxi service performance is examined, based on the operational statistics of the taxi market in Suzhou City, China. Two taxi service modes, ordinary taxi service and the new dedicated taxi program which is derived from the booking system, have been compared. The feedback from taxi drivers and customers have been collected to disclose their perspectives on the taxi booking system. The results indicate that in current operation modes, the use of the telephone/online booking system could benefit passengers, but actually makes few differences to the taxi service providers.