Innovative Dispatching Taxi Services Design Based on Customer Orientation

Taxi is an important mode of transportation in urban areas, which also plays an essential role in providing public transit services. In recent year, GPS-based taxi dispatching service has more operation efficiency and service quality comparing with other cruising and radio dispatching taxis. Application of the advanced technologies has turned into a new trend for taxi industry. However, the utilization of satellite dispatching service is still far beyond the expectation. In order to understand the customer needs, decision criterions, and experience of taking taxi dispatching service as well as to find out the missing linkage in this service chain, this research conducts a survey on taxi passengers who have used GPS-based dispatching service. Additionally, this research identifies the key strategies to satisfy customers’ needs and promote the taxi dispatching service with Quality Function Deployment Method (QFD) combined with Fuzzy Theory and Grey Relational Analysis (GRA). With these results from both passenger needs and operator strategies, this research proposed an innovative taxi dispatching services.he result shows that “low cost of taxi dispatching service”, “splendid tangible of taxi dispatching service” and “discount fares” are the three categories that the industry should give priority for quality improvement and development of customer needs for property. To meet customers’ needs and enhance the competitive advantage, the key strategies are obtained as “expanding the taxi dispatching way”, “promoting the dispatch software and developing more modules”, and “ensuring the tangible or progressing in friendly access”. Besides, development of the large-scale fleet, formulation of good customer relationship management (CRM) and enhancement of driver quality are also the steps that industry should consider. Based on findings in this research, and existing technologies, potential IT applications, and social needs, this research designed a “Web Taxi-2.0” dispatching platform, which integrates functions of individual taxi selection, service evaluation, advanced booking & payment modules with implementations of many innovative service programs. It is shown that the Web Taxi_2.0 has potential to stimulate market demand for diversified service and to increase utilization of taxi dispatching service, and then to create even greater customer value and social benefits.