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The
activity of taxicab fleets is usually monitored and controlled by a
central office, which provides dispatching, accounting, and human
resources services to one or more taxi companies. Taxi owners and
drivers usually communicate with the dispatch office through either a
2-way radio or a computer terminal, called a mobile data terminal.
Before
the innovation of radio dispatch in the 1950s, taxi drivers would use a
callbox—a special telephone at a taxi stand—to contact the dispatch
office. Taxi fleets aren't the only mode of hired transportation to use
two-way communication systems. Luxury sedans and limo services also
incorporate these kinds of systems in their vehicles.
When
a customer calls for a taxi, a call is dispatched by either radio or
computer via an in-vehicle mobile data terminal, to the most suitable
cab. The most suitable cab may either be the one closest to the pick-up
address. These days, this is often determined by GPS coordinates. It
also can be the one that was the first to book in to the "zone"
surrounding the pickup address. Cabs are sometimes dispatched from
their taxi stands. A call to "Top of the 2" means that the first cab in
line at stand #2 is supposed to pick someone up.
In
offices using radio dispatch, taxi locations are often tracked using
magnetic "pegs" on a "board"—a metal sheet with an engraved map of taxi
zones. In computerized dispatch, the status of taxis is tracked by the
computer system.
Taxi
frequencies are generally licensed in duplex pairs. One frequency is
used for the dispatcher to talk to the cabs, and a second frequency is
used to the cabs to talk back. This means that the drivers generally
cannot talk to each other. Some cabs have a CB radio in addition to the
company radio so they can speak to each other.
In
the United States, there is a Taxicab Radio Service with pairs assigned
for this purpose. A taxi company can also be licensed in the Business
Radio Service. Business frequencies in the UHF range are also licensed
in pairs to allow for repeaters, though taxi companies usually use the
pair for duplex communications.
Some
companies don't operate their own radio system and instead subscribe to
a Specialized Mobile Radio system. The conventional radios are most
suited to companies that operate within the local area and have a high
volume of radio traffic. The SMR is more commonly used by luxury sedan
services that cover a wider area. It's also used by smaller companies
who use less airtime and don't want to run their own radio systems.
Checker
Sedan is a premier mode of transportation that Detroit visitors can use to take
them back and forth to Detroit
Metro Airport when they're visiting Michigan. Checker, www.checkersedan.com,
was established in March 2000 and has become the fastest growing
chauffeur-driven licensed luxury sedan company in Metropolitan Detroit. Checker Sedan is an affiliate of Soave
Enterprises, a privately held management and investment company founded by
Detroit businessman Anthony L. Soave.
Checker Sedan is the official curbside luxury sedan provider for Detroit
Metro Airport. |
