draft mandle presentation--asheville 03-15-2013 · taxicab hold areas are intended to benefit: 6...

PRESENTATION

by

Peter Mandle

Presented beforeAirport Ground Transportation Association2013 Spring ConferenceAsheville, N.C. March 18, 2013

Virtual Taxicab Hold Areas: Are They for Real?

2 AGTA 2013 Spring ConferenceVirtual Taxicab Hold Areas: Are They for Real?

Outline of presentation

Definitions

Purpose of a taxicab hold area?

Determining the size and

location of a taxicab hold area

Operations of a virtual taxicab

hold area

Advantages and disadvantages

Other issues


1. Suggested definitions

Taxicab hold area:

Designated area where taxicabs and drivers must wait until they are dispatched to the passenger boarding area

• Taxis wait in first-in, first-out queues.• Also referred to as Staging areas or Bullpens• Co-located with staging areas for limos, chartered or scheduled buses

Taxicab boarding area or stand

Baggage claim curbside or other area where customers board waiting taxicabs

• Provide space for 4 or more nose-to-tail taxis in one or more lines

• Drivers move up in a sequential manner, sometimes from terminal to terminal

Mini hold area or stack:

Supplemental hold area located between the primary hold area and the taxicab boarding area

Virtual Hold Area A system allowing authorized taxicab drivers to log into an electronic queue, monitor their position in the queue; and proceed to the boarding area (or other location) when directed to do so


2. What is the purpose of a taxicab hold area?

The customer• Provides expected level of service: Taxis waiting for passengers• Availability of vehicles for passengers with special needs:• Choice of vehicles/fares

The airport operator• Provides centralize location for fee collection and vehicle inspection • Easily to confirm adequacy of supply number of waiting cabs• Assured that taxis are immediately available

Taxicab drivers• Can assure/maintain sequence in queue and monitor expected wait times• Provides opportunity to socialize with peers and conduct other business• Availability of driver’s lounge and food truck

Taxicab hold areas are intended to benefit:


2. What is the purpose of a taxicab hold area?

The customerThe airport operatorTaxicab drivers

• Can assure/maintain sequence in queue and monitor expected wait times• Provides opportunity to socialize with peers and conduct other business• Availability of driver’s lounge and food truck

Taxicab hold areas are intended to benefit:


3. How to determine size and location of a taxi hold area


3. How to determine size and location of a taxi hold area

As demonstrated in published research, it is inherently obvious that the proper hold lot size is equal to:

Where D=The distance from the entrance of the hold area to the front of the pick‐up area in nautical miles

X=The mean velocity of taxicabs traveling in uncongested traffic conditions in furlongs/fortnight

Y=The area, less any space occupied by non‐essential building and structures in hectares

Ɵ=The number of annual originating and terminating passengers in year X


3. How to determine the size of a taxi hold area

Size of curbside boarding area/taxicab stand

– Peak hour volume of customers seeking on‐demand taxicab service

– Time needed to replenish the stand – Murphy’s Law:

Size of hold area– Number of outbound taxicabs – Time to replenish the hold area– No. of taxis required before/after peak– Open vs. closed taxicab operation– Number of permitted taxicabs – Limited number of taxis in the hold lot– Other airport policies– Size of available site(s)

Establishing the size of a hold area is not an exact science


3. How to determine the location of a taxicab hold area

Ideally taxicab hold lots are: • Located on a level site• Accessible from the regional roadway network • Close to the terminal (minimize travel time to boarding area and line jumping)• Space for taxis plus chartered/scheduled buses and limousines• Screened from public view

But, frequently there are competing land uses, having higher priority, seeking level sites near the terminal

More distant sites can function well but require• Dispatch/call‐up system• Monitoring/oversight by airport staff or others• Uncongested path to the boarding area• If very remote, small mini‐stacks near the terminal are frequently used

Locations reflect airport policies, priorities, and the availability of suitable sites


4. How might a virtual taxicab hold area operate?

“Closed systems” with a single taxicab concessionaire• Concessionaire provide common dispatch system and MDT• All drivers can log‐in and monitor their place in the queue via a common system• Company dispatcher monitors and addresses driver concerns• Concessionaire responds to questions of favoritism

“Open” systems with multiple taxicab companies• Airport to provide and maintain the necessary communication system. Costs?• Need for drivers to have two smart phones/MDTs?• Airport responsible for system oversight and management• Airport staff responsible for responding to driver concerns• Need to assure accuracy, reliability, avoid claims of “monkey business”?

See Forrest Swonsen & Lynn Richardson’s presentations for details & corrections


5. What are some advantages of a virtual hold area?

Opportunities for increased net revenues for airport operator• Reduces required size of hold area• Lease and develop for f higher and better uses• Reduces Airport’s operating and maintenance expenses

Opportunities for additional revenue for drivers • Drivers can conduct business elsewhere while remaining in the queue• Improved service for the local community• Additional revenue opportunities for drivers

Reduced VMT—taxis need not continually move up /keep motors on Less monkey business—Less opportunity to conduct undesirable activities


6. What are some disadvantages and other considerations?

Assurance that there is an adequate supply of waiting taxicabs? Vehicle inspection locations: Disagreements in view of customers?

Fare collection location/gates Ability to distinguish drop‐offs vs. pick‐ups?

Operating procedures• Length of alert prior to expected arrival time?• Any grace period after expected arrival time?• Accommodating no‐shows/or late arrivals? Penalties for no shows?• Accommodating short‐trips• Giving preference to vehicles using alternative fuels? • Process for “opening” the airport to unauthorized taxicabs when Airport is stripped of cabs? How to alert other (unauthorized) drivers

• Use of geo‐fence, or can taxicabs in queued taxicabs travel anywhere


Questions?

Thank you!

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draft mandle presentation--asheville 03-15-2013 · taxicab hold areas are intended to benefit: 6...

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