AirLink RV55 Helps Taxi Services Stay Competitive

AirLink Devices Help Taxi Services Stay Competitive

Ride Sharing Companies Give Traditional Taxi Services A Run For Their Money

With the prevalence of ride-share companies operating their entire process out of apps — from reserving a ride to being able to track its arrival on the screen to paying for the ride and tipping the driver — taxi services have needed to find a way to stay competitive.

Taxi services have the advantage of abundance and availability on their side. In the most active areas of major cities — from business areas to tourist attractions — usually, someone can hail a cab much more quickly than they can get a ride share. And, of course, taxi services have the benefit of being staffed by full-time drivers who know the ins and outs of their city better than anyone, especially when compared to gig drivers who may know their local neighborhoods and major thoroughfares, but generally rely on GPS systems for navigation.

For decades, NYC cabbies had to take an 80-question test focused entirely on the geography of the five boroughs to showcase their in-depth knowledge of the city's quickest routes and traffic patterns. In London, Black Cab drivers spend years preparing for an infamous test known as The Knowledge. Before GPS, these tests were the only way to ensure that passengers would be taken to their destination as quickly as possible. And of course, even knowing the ins and outs of regular traffic patterns didn’t account for construction, road closures, detours, and more.

The Challenge

Taxi Drivers Require Internet Connections to Power Fare Collection

One of the biggest challenges facing taxi services is convenience. While passengers can usually step out their door and find a ride within a matter of minutes until recently, taxis tended to be cash-only enterprises. When ride-share companies burst onto the scene with their pay-in-app model, it quickly became a much more attractive option for passengers. Taxi companies needed to compete by making mobile POS systems standard across their entire fleet, which required finding a solution to provide reliable, secure internet connectivity.

In most US cities, the days of required geography tests for licensed taxi drivers are long gone. This is because they’re all able to rely on GPS, which can show them the best route to take at a given time of day or reroute them in the event of construction or even an accident. This is immensely helpful for drivers and passengers, but it means that drivers must have constant connectivity in their vehicles. A momentary drop in service could result in a missed turn and an inadvertently extra-long trip (and an irritated passenger). Which is another argument for why taking a traditional taxi service with highly knowledgeable drivers is more reliable than depending on GPS alone.

In addition, most modern taxi services utilize digital displays to provide passengers with necessary information, entertainment,and even paid advertising throughout their journey. Without a connection to the internet, such displays need to be manually preloaded with content, taking up taxi companies precious time and resources.

Finally, mobile video surveillance provides passengers and drivers with an extra level of security during their trip. Something that isn’t common inside ride-share vehicles, as they aren’t equipped with centralized video monitoring and storage systems. Dash mounted and in-cabin cameras can provide a video of both the inside and outside of the vehicle but also require connectivity to save video to the cloud or perform automated video data offloads once a cab is returned the yard.

The Solution

Ruggedized Vehicle Router and Antenna Kits

In large cities, cellular network connections can be a bit spotty due to interference from tall buildings and congestion resulting from tens of millions of connected devices. To provide for the connectivity needs of mobile fleets, you need rugged devices that provide reliable and robust connections to local cellular networks that possess the ability to automatically switch between major carriers to maintain the strongest connections possible.

The Sierra Wireless AirLink RV55 LTE Cat12 with Wi-Fi Router is the ideal solution for fleet vehicles, including taxis. It provides cost-effective, centrally managed, secure LTE broadband connectivity with low power consumption, perfect for connecting EPOS devices, GPS, interactive digital signage, and in-vehicle video systems. Its ruggedized build makes it perfect for taxis operated in areas with extreme weather conditions, from the sweltering heat and humidity of summers in the Southern US to frigid New England winters.

To maximize connectivity, roof mounted antennas are required. For taxi’s and limousines, we usually recommend the sleek MaxFin line of antennas from Mobile Mark. The MaxFin is a compact, attractive and high performance antenna designed with the stylish combination of matte and polished finish, providing a sleek, high-tech look on the vehicle.

Their MXFG502 antenna contains five separate antenna elements, all in one compact antenna housing — two broadband cellular antennas, two dual-band Wi-Fi antennas, and one GPS/GNSS antenna — making it a perfect pairing for the AirLink RV55 when used in mobile applications.

The Results

Connectivity for Smoother and Safer Operations

With our ruggedized router and antenna kits installed in each vehicle, taxi companies are able to outfit their fleets with best-in-class, secure, reliable connectivity for various applications. Drivers can rest easy knowing that they need no longer worry about losing fares due to being cash-only or losing navigation abilities due to poor connections.

On the operations side of things, dispatchers and fleet managers gain real-time access to vehicle location and I/O data. I/O data can record things like vehicle speed, engine health, and airbag deployments. With tracking and I/O data combined, taxi operations can improve operational safety — gaining the ability to notify first responders regarding accidents as they occur, while providing exact GPS coordinates for EMS dispatchers.

Having in-vehicle connectivity can improve rider experiences with options to provide passengers with free Wi-Fi during their trips, enhancing satisfaction, while providing a service most ride-shares can’t.

The Team

Device Provisioning, Activation and Installation Services

USAT specializes in designing and deploying mobile wireless data connectivity solutions, for public and private fleet vehicles — complete with implementation, training, proof of concept (POC), system auditing, and on-site RF surveying services with optional engineering maintenance contracts. Our team not only helps you select, provision, and activate devices, we make sure they work in practical applications and real-life situations.

For over 25 years, USAT has provided mobile communications solutions for within fleet applications across the USA. With our extensive catalog of world-class routers, gateways, and software designed for the remote monitoring and management of your vehicles — even in the harshest of environments — you can count on us to get and keep you connected.

Better fleet connectivity translates to less manual equipment maintenance, reduced downtime, and an overall increase in your business’s ROI. Contact the experts at USAT to learn how our wireless networking solutions can help meet your organizations’ exacting needs.

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