
Ensuring a steady supply of cabs for weary travellers...
By Andy McCue
Published: 22 January 2004 17:30 GMT
London's Heathrow Airport is deploying radio frequency identification (RFID) tags in taxi fleets to monitor and manage demand on behalf of arriving passengers who need transport away from the airport.
The chips in the taxis will identify the car and the driver and transmit the information to handheld devices used by the taxi management agents at the feeder park and in terminal ranks at the airport.
The system is modelled on one already in use at Paris Charles de Gaulle airport and is being deployed at Heathrow by British Airports Authority (BAA), which is working with IT services company Steria. It replaces a PC-based system currently in use and BAA claims it will make it easier to respond to any unplanned factors affecting the dispatch of taxis, such as roadworks.
Using automatic vehicle and driver identification RFID technology from supplier NEDAP, BAA hopes the system will enable to managers ensure the optimum numbers of taxis on the ranks at each of Heathrow's terminals.
Steve Cumber, onward travel manager at BAA, said in a statement: "Our existing system has reached the end of its useful life in both hardware and software terms. We needed software with the flexibility to manage the changing needs of our customers and the business."
Earlier this week in an interview with silicon.com, Ric Francis, CIO of supermarket chain Safeway said RFID will become ubiquitous and that privacy and standards issues will be overcome because the technology is too important.
Stick the technology in the Park and Ride buses to...
David Bradley
Computerised despatch is all very well but nothing...
Anonymous
Seems like the thin end of the wedge. I expect one...
Anonymous
Reading this it has become apparent that it won't ...
Steve Orpen
Obviously access to larger number of taxis at any ...
Fara Arani
Airport IT Software Systems Assurance / Projects Applications Engineer (airport systems, baggage systems requirements definition, testing, ...
Clean driver? Identification of critical details and data elements as part of a functional design ALERT Life Sciences Computing U.K. Limited (ALERT ...
kAn opportunity for an aspirational business analyst with project management skills to join a truly innovative company with a reputation for ...
Agenda Setters 2009
Welcome to the ninth annual Agenda Setters poll – silicon.com's list of the top 50 most influential individuals in the technology and IT industries, from techies and CIOs to entrepreneurs and business leaders. Find out more in our latest special report.
Stories from the web...
Copyright © 2008 CBS Interactive Limited. All rights reserved. Top of page
Natasha Lomas Exclusive: Jimmy Wales on what's next for Wikipedia Why Wikipedia needs geeks and why a life unplugged is unthinkable
Peter Cochrane Peter Cochrane's Blog: United breaks guitars? Customer service has changed forever