An Algorithm For Taxi Sharing

Uruguay researchers have developed a taxi-sharing algorithm that could completely revolutionize city transport.

Smart cities of the future will require a lot of transportation planning, as “sharing economy” will play a crucial role – we will have ride-sharing schemes, office rental, and home rental schemes, etc. While car-sharing schemes will definitely be a thing, taxis will still be relevant. For this reason, researchers have been working on finding a way to route shared taxis more efficiently – and they have succeeded.

The new algorithm was tested on real GPS data for taxi journeys, and the results show that the algorithm can reduce delays and travel costs for the group of passengers. “In this way, it is possible to reduce costs, increase efficiency in the use of resources, and allow a more active participation of citizens,” explain researchers. This all will greatly improve information and communication technologies that the smart cities use.

Ride-sharing schemes will have both economical and environmental benefits, which will improve individual lives and smart cities in general. This is because in this way travel costs and a number of vehicles can be reduced, resulting in less pollution.

Source: Inderscience via Phys.org (http://phys.org/news/2016-09-algorithm-taxi.html)

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