Multi-attribute taxi logistics optimization

According to U.S. government surveys, 12% of Americans used taxi service in the previous month' and spent about $3.7 billion a year for cab fare.2 Taxi service is one of the major modes of public transportation. Despite providing services 24 hours a day, driving relentlessly with an empty taxicab in search of passengers and answering dispatch calls instantaneously, taxi service is ranked the most unsatisfactory mode of transportation by the public. Charging higher fares than other major modes of transportation and averaging 10 to 12 hours work day, taxi drivers have a difficult time to earn a sustainable income.Approximately half of all the taxi mileage is paid mileage; this means a significant portion of a taxi's time and fuel is spent on non-revenue generating activities, i.e. without passengers. Current taxi allocation is inefficient. The number of taxis and the geographical service areas which they serve are heavily regulated in most cities. With limited competition and strict regulations, taxi service suffers with customers having to endure long wait times and inferior services. The current taxi systems in most U.S. cities may be greatly improved from their current state.

Department dc:contributor.department

System Design and Management Program.

Grantor dc:publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2006

Author dc:creator

• Li, Sonny (Sonny Heng)

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• David Simchi-Levi.

• System Design and Management Program.

Statement dc:rights

• M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/35112

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/35112