NEWS 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.
Comments
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1. David Bradley
Stick the technology in the Park and Ride buses to the various car parks would serve more people using the airport and while we are about it electricfy the buses [using trolleybuses] to remove the stink of diesel in the departure alley at Heathrow
2. anonymous
Computerised despatch is all very well but nothing's going to ensure that there are cabs around when your delayed flight gets in at 3AM and all the cabs have gone home, while 300 other passengers also want a cab as there's no trains.
There is a computerised taxi despatch system at JFK but when queues at the ranks build up, the despatchers have to put in calls informally to the taxi companies to rustle up more drivers.
3. anonymous
Seems like the thin end of the wedge. I expect one day that every vehicle's tax disc will have a RFID and it will be used to pay tolls, insurance premiums and congestion charging, as well as confirm registrations caught on speed cameras.
4. Steve Orpen
Reading this it has become apparent that it won't be too long before some govt minister comes up with the idea of RFIDing people. For example, known sex offenders, parolees, immigrants awaiting appeals etc and it will all be perfectly justified with well reasoned and balanced arguments. This creeping infringement of personal space really should stop, its dangerous and quite blind.
5. Fara Arani
Obviously access to larger number of taxis at any point of time is cruicial to be able to provide the required service. Most Taxi despatch systems operate over Private Mobile Rdaio network. 2-way radio has an extremely limited range, and numerous blackspots. This makes job despatch and other communication hit and miss at best and at worst impossible.