Articles about creativity and invention
If I am a taxi cab driver........
As we enter the age of the internet, do we find taxi cab drivers taking advantages of new technologies to advance their trade? From the way I look at it, there is certainly not much of advancement. You still have people waving at the yellow cab from every corner and when you leave the cab after a trip, that’s the end of the story. You will probably not get to see him again for a long time. Just imagine, people can now strike up a conversation with an unknown person all across the world with only a few clicks and yet when they took their cab and in most cases even struck up a brief conversation with the driver, they would cease contact once they leave the cab! Is it not a lost opportunity? Now think again, cab drivers come into contact (albeit briefly) with many people during their journeys, so they are actually in the core of a networking cluster, and yet they can't make good use of the opportunity. If I am a taxi cab driver, I would do many things.
Does your cab driver give you a calling card? Yes, some do, but most will just take their fares and bid good bye to you. For those enterprising few who give their name cards, only their name and phone number is included. I would have made use of the opportunity to collect as much information as possible. Of course some people would not like it if they are asked for information, but I suppose if the question is nicely framed, people would oblige. When you look closely at the taxi cab business, you will realize that it is actually a nerve center for a networking hub. The taxi cab driver would be the nerve center and their passenger his clients. Why clients? Well, people do have needs, and they are usually seeking something or another all the time. So now, all they have to do is tell their cab driver what want is. The cab driver would then enter those data into his nerve center (a simple data server will do for a start) and over time, he will have enough information to help connect buyers and sellers (assuming a commercial buyer/seller) together.
Looked at it from the cab driver's point of view, he is offering a networking framework for his passenger clients, besides his main job as a taxi cab operator. With a low level of technical sophistication, he can run the center with just two people, one driving the cab and the other running the data server at home. Whether he can make money out of it is secondary, but he would certainly go a long way in helping to connect people together. If I am the cab driver, I would have used a pda phone with voice command to enter data and drive at the same time. I would engage my passenger clients in the most congenial conversation during the taxi trip such that they will open up and speak of from their heart. People are generally introverted, but when they are in an environment like in the cabins of a taxi, and with a smart dose of prodding, they usually open up and start to talk. Ever heard of data mining, well collecting data from your passenger clients might not seemed that covert after all, as you are offering a rare kind of service, like getting someone to talk to.
If you were to take a helicopter view of busy city traffic, you would have noticed the many yellow tops dotting all over. They are indeed spread out all over town, and they keep moving, almost like colonies of ants. Just imagine if a small proportion of these cab drivers were to report the traffic situation to a command center that monitors traffic flow. We could then have a real time view of the various roadways. Accidents, stalled vehicles, and other conditions will be accessible to interested parties at a click from communication devices. Since it is valued information, a way will have to be devised to pay for such services. Taxi cab consortium should look into such an important service. If anything, they could help relieve traffic congestion and help save fuel and time. Radio taxis could also benefit from such a service because it helps in unnecessary traveling times. Public transport systems could also be linked to the service to run more efficiently. All in, benefits to be gained for the entire community. So if I am a taxi cab driver, I would certainly have proposed such a system.
Ever heard of taxi ambulance? Why not! They know the shortest routes and the fastest way to go to the hospital. Throw in some knowledge of places where you can get the best medical doctors and surgeries and you have a service that can't be beat. Who else know the street names better than the professional taxi cab drivers? None, not even the police! So, if you were to call for their service through the radio, you can be sure that they can come and pick you up in the shortest of time. If I am a taxi cab driver, I would have armed myself with a GPS enabled phone that will show me the way if I were stuck in unfamiliar areas. Also get myself some real time traffic report to weave through tough traffic, and I should get any job done with time to spare.
Ideas like the above will probably bring about new forms of services, some very novel, some even inventive. How about a taxi idea that you can also do some shopping while sitting on the back seat? Or a taxi that will be able to show you some videos of shopping mall sales offer happening around the corner?
What would you do if you are a taxi cab driver? Would you like to share your ideas?
Writen by Terry