JP7601090B2 - Vehicle allocation management device, vehicle allocation management method, and program - Google Patents

Description

This technology relates to a vehicle dispatch management device, a vehicle dispatch management method, and a program, and in particular to a vehicle dispatch management device, a vehicle dispatch management method, and a program that can improve the probability of responding to vehicle dispatch requests from specific users such as priority members.

A taxi dispatch system is known that refers to the operation status of taxis, selects an appropriate taxi from among a number of taxis, and dispatches the taxi (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In recent years, a method in which taxi users request dispatch using a smartphone app has also become widespread.

If a system is established in which users of an app that can request ride-hailing are made to treat those who use the app frequently or spend a lot, or those who have paid registrations, as priority members separate from general members, it is desirable to always respond to ride-hailing requests from priority members.

JP 2003-109191 A

However, there will always be times when there is high demand for taxis depending on the location and time of the dispatch request, the weather, and other conditions, and it may be difficult to always respond to desired dispatch requests. That being said, setting aside surplus dispatch slots to respond to dispatch requests from priority members may be a waste, and even if surplus dispatch slots were set aside, it is unclear whether they can be responded to immediately, since it is unclear from which location a dispatch request will be made.

This technology was developed in light of these circumstances, and is intended to improve the probability of responding to vehicle dispatch requests from specific users, such as priority members.

A vehicle dispatch management device of one aspect of the present technology includes a management unit that transmits a request for transfer of the vehicle dispatch rights to a terminal device of a first user for which the dispatch of a mobile device has been confirmed, and when a notification of approval of the request is received from the terminal device of the first user, transmits to the terminal device of a second user a notification that the vehicle dispatch is possible.

A vehicle dispatch management method according to one aspect of the present technology includes a vehicle dispatch management device that transmits a request for transfer of vehicle dispatch rights to a terminal device of a first user for whom dispatch of a mobile device has been confirmed, and when a notification of approval of the request is received from the terminal device of the first user, transmits to the terminal device of a second user a notification that the vehicle dispatch is possible.

A program of one aspect of the present technology is configured to cause a computer to execute processes of receiving a request for the transfer of dispatch rights of a mobile device from a dispatch management device, sending a notification of acceptance of the request to the dispatch management device, and receiving incentive information from the dispatch management device in response to the notification of acceptance of the request.

In one aspect of the present technology, a request for transfer of the rights to dispatch a mobile device is sent to a terminal device of a first user for which dispatch of the mobile device has already been confirmed, and when a notification that the request is accepted is received from the terminal device of the first user, a notification that the vehicle can be dispatched is sent to the terminal device of a second user.

The vehicle dispatch management device according to one aspect of the present technology can be realized by causing a computer to execute a program. The program to be executed by the computer can be provided by transmitting it via a transmission medium or by recording it on a recording medium.

The vehicle dispatch management device may be an independent device or an internal block that constitutes a single device.

1 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a taxi dispatch system according to an embodiment of the present technology; 11 is a flowchart illustrating a flow of normal vehicle allocation control. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a vehicle dispatch request screen of a user application. 11 is a flowchart illustrating a normal vehicle dispatch process by the vehicle dispatch integrated management device. 11 is a flowchart illustrating a flow of vehicle allocation control that is handled by the transfer of vehicle allocation rights. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a transfer request screen displayed on a display of a user terminal. 13 is a flowchart illustrating details of a vehicle allocation process for requesting the transfer of a vehicle allocation right. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a vehicle dispatch request screen when there are no "vacant" taxis. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a ride-along request screen. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of an embodiment of a computer to which the present technology is applied.

Hereinafter, a description will be given of an embodiment of the present technology with reference to the accompanying drawings. In this specification and the drawings, components having substantially the same functional configurations are denoted by the same reference numerals, and duplicated description will be omitted. The description will be given in the following order.
1. Example of the configuration of a taxi dispatch system 2. Flow of normal dispatch control 3. Normal dispatch processing of the dispatch integrated management device 4. Flow of dispatch control when a request for the transfer of dispatch rights is made 5. Dispatch processing of the dispatch integrated management device for making a request for the transfer of dispatch rights 6. Modification for making a ride-along request 7. Modification for the transfer of dispatch rights 8. Summary of the embodiment 9. Example of computer configuration

<1. Example of taxi dispatch system configuration>
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a taxi dispatch system according to an embodiment to which the present technology is applied.

The taxi dispatch system 1 in Figure 1 is a system that dispatches a taxi as a transportation device to a user based on a request from the user who uses the taxi, and has dispatch management devices 11A to 11C of taxi companies A, B, and C, respectively, and an integrated dispatch management device 12 that is an integrated dispatch management device that manages them.

Company A's vehicle dispatch management device 11A is connected to one or more taxis 21A belonging to Company A via a specified network, and is also connected to the vehicle dispatch integrated management device 12 via a specified network.

Similarly, Company B's vehicle dispatch management device 11B is connected to one or more taxis 21B belonging to Company B via a specified network, and is also connected to the vehicle dispatch integrated management device 12 via a specified network.

Similarly, Company C's vehicle dispatch management device 11C is connected to one or more taxis 21C belonging to Company C via a specified network, and is also connected to the vehicle dispatch integrated management device 12 via a specified network.

In addition, private taxis 21D that do not belong to a specific company are directly connected to the integrated vehicle dispatch management device 12 via a specific network, without going through the vehicle dispatch management device 11. When there is no particular distinction between taxis 21A to 21C of companies A, B, and C, and private taxi 21D, they will be simply referred to as taxis 21.

Here, the specified network can be composed of a communication network or communication path of any communication standard, such as the Internet, a public telephone line network, a wide area communication network for mobile communication such as so-called 4G lines or 5G lines, a Wide Area Network (WAN), a Local Area Network (LAN), a wireless communication network that communicates in accordance with the Bluetooth (registered trademark) standard, a communication path for short-range wireless communication such as NFC (Near Field Communication), a communication path for infrared communication, a communication network for wired communication in accordance with standards such as HDMI (registered trademark) (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) or USB (Universal Serial Bus), etc.

Company A's taxi 21A has an on-board device 31 and a communication unit 32. Company A's taxi 21A is also equipped with a terminal device 33.

The vehicle-mounted device 31 is equipped with a vehicle activity data generation unit 34 that acquires necessary data from a fare meter, a GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver, a gyro sensor, a speedometer, etc. (all not shown) and generates vehicle activity data representing the activity log of the vehicle (taxi 21A).

The vehicle activity data generation unit 34 acquires data such as the status of "occupied", "empty", or "pick-up" and the fee (fare) from, for example, the fare meter. The status indicates the business status of the taxi 21. The vehicle activity data generation unit 34 also acquires information such as the current position, moving speed, and moving direction of the vehicle from, for example, a GPS receiver, a gyro sensor, a speedometer, etc.

The vehicle status data generation unit 34 then generates information such as a company ID identifying the company to which taxi 21A belongs, a radio ID identifying taxi 21A, a crew ID identifying the driver on duty in taxi 21A, a status time indicating the time the status was generated, latitude and longitude which are the location information of taxi 21A, the driving speed and direction of taxi 21A, the status of "occupied vehicle", "empty vehicle" or "pick-up", and, if the status is "occupied vehicle" or "pick-up", the boarding location and destination of taxi 21, as vehicle status data on a regular or irregular basis, and transmits this information to Company A's vehicle dispatch management device 11A via the communication unit 32.

The communication unit 32 transmits the vehicle status data generated by the vehicle status data generation unit 34 of the vehicle-mounted device 31 to the vehicle dispatch management device 11A of Company A. The communication unit 32 is configured with a network interface that performs network communication via a specified network.

The terminal device 33 is composed of an information processing device such as a smartphone or a tablet terminal. A driver app 35, which is an application program for the driver, is installed in the terminal device 33. The driver app 35 acquires data related to a dispatch request from the vehicle dispatch integrated management device 12 and displays it on a display, and transmits response data to the dispatch request to the vehicle dispatch integrated management device 12 based on the driver's operation. The driver app 35 communicates directly with the vehicle dispatch integrated management device 12 via a network such as a wide area communication network for mobile communication. The driver app 35 may also communicate with the vehicle dispatch integrated management device 12 via the communication unit 32 and the vehicle dispatch management device 11A of Company A.

Taxi 21B of Company B and taxi 21C of Company C are basically the same as taxi 21A of Company A, except that they are different companies, so we will omit their explanation.

Company A's vehicle dispatch management device 11A collects vehicle status data of one or more Company A's taxis 21A and transmits it to the integrated vehicle dispatch management device 12, and also relays data regarding dispatch requests transmitted from the integrated vehicle dispatch management device 12 to Company A's taxis 21A, and transmits it to the specified Company A's taxi 21A.

Company A's vehicle dispatch management device 11A has a vehicle status data management unit 41, an order information management unit 42, and a communication unit 43. Company A's vehicle dispatch management device 11A is configured, for example, as a server device (information processing device) with network connection functionality.

The vehicle status data management unit 41 manages the vehicle status data supplied from each of Company A's taxis 21A. Specifically, the vehicle status data management unit 41 stores the vehicle status data supplied from each of Company A's taxis 21A in an internal memory unit, and displays the vehicle status data of each taxi 21A on a display (not shown). In addition, the vehicle status data management unit 41 transmits the vehicle status data supplied from each taxi 21A to the vehicle dispatch integrated management device 12.

When an operator who manages the operation of Company A's taxis 21A receives a call requesting dispatch to Company A, the operator can check the current location and status, such as "occupied" or "vacant," of each of Company A's taxis 21A, which are stored in the vehicle activity data management unit 41, and search for and assign a taxi 21A that can respond to the dispatch request.

The order information management unit 42 manages information on advance dispatch requests (dispatch reservations) from customers, etc. For example, when an operator of a taxi 21A of Company A receives a call from a customer for a dispatch reservation, the operator inputs the dispatch reservation information, such as the pick-up location, pick-up time, customer name, and destination, from an operation terminal to the order information management unit 42. The order information management unit 42 stores the dispatch reservation information, and displays the dispatch request a predetermined time before the reservation time. The operator who has confirmed the display of the dispatch request makes a dispatch request to a predetermined taxi 21A based on the vehicle status data stored in the vehicle status data management unit 41. Note that the order information management unit 42 may search for the most suitable taxi 21A from the vehicle status data in the vehicle status data management unit 41 a predetermined time before the reservation time, and make a dispatch request.

The communication unit 43 performs predetermined communications with the vehicle dispatch integrated management device 12 and each of the taxis 21A of Company A. For example, the communication unit 43 transmits a dispatch request from the vehicle dispatch integrated management device 12 to a predetermined taxi 21A, and transmits vehicle status data periodically acquired from each taxi 21A to the vehicle dispatch integrated management device 12.

The dispatch management devices 11B and 11C of taxi companies B and C are basically the same as the dispatch management device 11A of company A, except that they are different companies, so their explanation will be omitted. When no particular distinction is made between companies A, B, and C, they may simply be referred to as the dispatch management device 11.

The integrated vehicle dispatch management device 12 transmits and receives data such as vehicle status data and dispatch requests between the vehicle dispatch management devices 11 of companies A, B, and C. The integrated vehicle dispatch management device 12 also communicates via a specified network with an application program (hereinafter referred to as a user application) 61 for making dispatch requests that is installed on a terminal device (hereinafter referred to as a user terminal) 13 of a user who is a taxi user. The integrated vehicle dispatch management device 12 is, for example, composed of a server device having a network connection function.

The integrated vehicle dispatch management device 12 is a vehicle dispatch management device that manages the dispatch of all taxis 21. The integrated vehicle dispatch management device 12 has a vehicle status data management unit 51, a customer data management unit 52, an order information management unit 53, a vehicle dispatch management unit 54, a taxi company communication unit 55, and an app communication unit 56.

The vehicle status data management unit 51 manages the vehicle status data supplied from the dispatch management device 11 of each taxi company and each private taxi 21D. Specifically, the vehicle status data management unit 51 stores the vehicle status data supplied from the dispatch management device 11 of each taxi company and each private taxi 21D in an internal memory unit, and displays the vehicle status data on a display (not shown). The vehicle status data includes information such as the company ID of the taxi 21, the radio ID of the taxi 21, the driver ID, the status time, the position information of the taxi 21, the running speed and direction of travel of the taxi 21, the status, and the boarding point and destination of the taxi 21 when the status is "actual vehicle" or "pick-up". In addition, the vehicle status data management unit 51 records the company ID of the taxi 21, the radio ID of the taxi 21, the driver ID, the boarding point and destination, the fare, etc. of the taxi 21 as past actual vehicle data in the internal memory unit each time a "actual vehicle" status ends.

The customer data management unit 52 generates customer data based on data input by the operator or transmitted from the user application 61, and stores the data in an internal memory unit. For example, the customer data management unit 52 stores information such as the customer's name, the customer's favorite taxi company or the taxi company that the customer prefers to have dispatched preferentially, the frequently used taxi stand, and the average waiting time for pick-up, together with a customer ID, which is identification information for identifying the customer. The customer data may be data input (specified) by the user in the user application 61, or may be data generated by the customer data management unit 52 based on the user's riding history, etc.

Users (customers) of the user app 61 are classified as either general members or priority members. Priority members are members who are entitled to more preferential treatment than general members. Priority members can be determined, for example, based on the frequency of use or amount of use over a certain period of time in the past, and can be users whose frequency of use or amount of use is equal to or exceeds a certain value. Alternatively, priority members may be assigned to paid registered users who have paid a certain amount. The customer data stored in the customer data management unit 52 also stores the customer's membership type.

The order information management unit 53 manages information on advance dispatch requests (dispatch reservations) from customers, etc. The order information management unit 42 of each dispatch management device 11 manages information on dispatch requests (dispatch reservations) received by each taxi company, while the order information management unit 53 manages information on dispatch requests (dispatch reservations) received by the representative reservation center that oversees each taxi company or by the user application 61. The order information management unit 53 makes a dispatch request to the dispatch management unit 54 a specified time before the reservation time for the dispatch reservation.

The vehicle dispatch management unit 54 controls vehicle dispatch based on a vehicle dispatch request or a vehicle dispatch reservation. For example, when a vehicle dispatch request is transmitted from the user application 61, the vehicle dispatch management unit 54 extracts a taxi 21 that satisfies the conditions of the vehicle dispatch request based on the vehicle status data stored in the vehicle status data management unit 51, and transmits a vehicle dispatch request to the extracted taxi 21. When a vehicle dispatch request is transmitted from the order information management unit 53, the vehicle dispatch management unit 54 extracts a taxi 21 that satisfies the conditions of the vehicle dispatch request based on the vehicle status data stored in the vehicle status data management unit 51, and transmits a vehicle dispatch request to the extracted taxi 21.

The taxi company communication unit 55 performs predetermined communication with each of the taxi company's dispatch management devices 11. For example, the taxi company communication unit 55 receives vehicle status data periodically transmitted from each taxi 21A and supplies the data to the vehicle status data management unit 51, and transmits a dispatch request from the dispatch management unit 54 to a predetermined taxi 21 via the dispatch management device 11.

In addition, the taxi company communication unit 55 may receive vehicle status data and send a dispatch request from the dispatch management unit 54 to a specified taxi 21 by communicating directly with the taxi 21 of each taxi company without going through the dispatch management device 11 of each taxi company.

The application communication unit 56 performs a predetermined communication with the user application 61. For example, the application communication unit 56 receives a dispatch request from the user application 61 and supplies it to the dispatch management unit 54, and when the dispatch of a predetermined taxi 21 is confirmed, sends a dispatch confirmation notification to the user application 61.

In addition, in order to make it easier to understand, Figure 1 only illustrates a user terminal 13 and user application 61 corresponding to one user, but the integrated vehicle dispatch management device 12 can communicate as necessary with user applications 61 of multiple user terminals 13.

The user terminal 13 is composed of an information processing device such as a smartphone or tablet terminal, and performs predetermined communication with the vehicle dispatch integrated management device 12. The user application 61 requests the vehicle dispatch integrated management device 12 to dispatch a taxi 21 based on the user's operation, and displays a confirmation of dispatch in response to the dispatch request. The user application 61 can also display the current operating status of the taxi 21 on the display by acquiring vehicle status data in the vicinity of the user's current location from the vehicle dispatch integrated management device 12.

In the taxi dispatch system 1 configured as described above, when a user operates the user application 61 to request the dispatch of a taxi 21, the integrated dispatch management device 12 refers to the vehicle status data in the vehicle status data management unit 51 to search for the most suitable taxi 21 and transmits a dispatch request to the found taxi 21.

When searching for the most suitable taxi 21, the integrated vehicle dispatch management device 12 first searches among the taxis 21 whose status is "available" to see if there is a taxi 21 that can respond to the dispatch request.

However, there will always be times when there is high demand for taxis depending on the location and time of the dispatch request, weather, and other conditions, and it may be difficult to always respond to desired dispatch requests.

Therefore, the integrated vehicle dispatch management device 12 has established a vehicle dispatch control system that responds to vehicle dispatch requests from priority members among users of the user application 61 with a higher probability than general members.

Specifically, when a user who is a priority member makes a request for dispatch and there is no taxi 21 with the status "vacant", the dispatch integrated management device 12 controls dispatch so that a taxi 21 that has been assigned to a dispatch request of another user who is a general member and is currently picking up the assigned user at the boarding point is reallocated to the user who is a priority member. A general member user who transfers the dispatch right is given a predetermined incentive as a reward for the transfer of the dispatch right. The incentive can be, for example, an electronic coupon for a free pick-up fee or a discount ticket that can be used the next time a dispatch is used, or a free ticket or discount ticket for a shop or the like that can be used in the vicinity of the current location or the destination. Alternatively, the incentive can be a reward such as electronic money or points that is given to the transferor for the transfer of the dispatch right.

Below, we will first explain dispatch control (normal dispatch control) when there is one or more taxis 21 with an "empty" status when a user makes a dispatch request, without distinguishing between general members and priority members, and an "empty" taxi 21 can be assigned to the dispatch request from the user. Next, we will explain dispatch control that makes it possible to respond to a dispatch request from a priority member in a situation where there are no "empty" taxis 21.

<2. Flow of normal vehicle dispatch control>
FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating the flow of normal dispatch control in the entire taxi dispatch system 1 when an "empty" taxi 21 can be assigned.

In addition to the processing shown in Figure 2, the integrated vehicle dispatch management device 12 regularly or irregularly acquires vehicle status data of the taxis 21 from each taxi 21, and updates the vehicle status data in the vehicle status data management unit 51. This processing is executed continuously.

First, in step S1, the user launches the user application 61 and inputs the boarding location "X" and the destination "Y" into the user application 61 to request a ride.

Figure 3 shows an example of a vehicle dispatch request screen of user app 61 when a user launches user app 61 to make a vehicle dispatch request.

The dispatch request screen in Figure 3 includes an area map 81 that displays a map of the area near the current location, a dispatch request operation section 82 for performing dispatch request operations, a boarding location input section 83 for inputting the boarding location, a destination input section 84 for inputting the destination, and a payment setting section 85 for specifying the payment method.

On the area map 81, taxi marks 91A representing taxis 21 with a status of "empty" and taxi marks 91B representing taxis 21 with a status of "occupied" or "pick-up" are displayed at positions on the map according to the current location of the taxi 21. The taxi marks 91A with a status of "empty" and the taxi marks 91B with a status of "occupied" or "pick-up" are displayed in different colors or patterns, and are displayed to distinguish them. In the example of FIG. 3, the taxi mark 91A with a status of "empty" is displayed in white (plain), and the taxi marks 91B with a status of "occupied" or "pick-up" are displayed in gray.

In the example of Figure 3, the taxi mark 91B with a status of "actual vehicle" and the taxi mark 91B with a status of "pick-up" are shown in the same color or pattern without any distinction between them, but the taxi mark 91B with a status of "actual vehicle" and the taxi mark 91B with a status of "pick-up" may be displayed in different colors or patterns so as to be distinguishable between them.

In the following, the taxi mark 91A representing a taxi 21 with a status of "vacant" will be referred to as the vacant taxi mark 91A, and the taxi mark 91B representing a status of "occupied" or "pick-up" will be referred to as the occupied/pick-up taxi mark 91B. When there is no particular distinction between the vacant taxi mark 91A and the occupied/pick-up taxi mark 91B, they will simply be referred to as the taxi mark 91.

On the area map 81, a current location mark 93 indicating the user's current location acquired by the GPS receiver of the user terminal 13 and a boarding location mark 94 are displayed at a position corresponding to the boarding location input by the user to the boarding location input section 83. The user can freely move the boarding location mark 94 to a desired location on the area map 81 by a touch operation, and an address corresponding to the location of the boarding location mark 94 is displayed on the boarding location input section 83.

An operation bar 82A is displayed in the vehicle dispatch request operation section 82, and a vehicle dispatch request can be executed by sliding the operation bar 82A to the right.

The boarding location input section 83 is used to input the boarding location desired by the user. The boarding location input section 83 may be left blank when the app is launched, or the current location acquired by the GPS receiver may be input by default. If the boarding location input section 83 is left blank, the boarding location mark 94 is not displayed.

The destination input section 84 is where the user enters the desired destination.

In the payment setting section 85, the payment method can be specified. For example, the payment method can be selected as cash payment, in which the driver is paid in cash, or card payment, in which the driver is paid using a credit card registered in the user app 61. The payment setting section 85 in FIG. 3 shows an example of the display when card payment is specified.

When the app is launched, the user app 61 displays on the area map 81 taxi marks 91 of taxis 21 with a status of "available," "occupied," or "pick-up" that are located within a predetermined range based on the scale of the map from the user's current location.

The processing of step S1 corresponds to the user inputting the boarding location "X" in the boarding location input section 83 and the destination "Y" in the destination input section 84 on the dispatch request screen of Figure 3, and then sliding the operation bar 82A to the right.

Returning to Figure 2, when the user slides the operation bar 82A to the right, in step S2, the user application 61 sends a dispatch request to the dispatch integrated management device 12 along with information on the boarding location "X" and the destination "Y."

In step S11, the dispatch management unit 54 of the dispatch integrated management device 12 receives a dispatch request from the user application 61, and extracts dispatchable taxis 21 by referring to the current vehicle status data managed by the vehicle status data management unit 51. Here, it is assumed that a taxi 21A of Company A, which is the closest taxi 21 to the boarding location "X" and has a status of "vacant", has been searched for.

In step S12, the dispatch management unit 54 sends a dispatch request to the searched taxi 21A of Company A.

In step S21, the driver app 35 of Company A's taxi 21A acquires data related to the dispatch request (e.g., boarding location "X" and destination "Y") from the vehicle dispatch integrated management device 12 and displays it on the display. Then, when the driver responds to accept the dispatch request, in step S22, the driver app 35 transmits a request acceptance notice to the vehicle dispatch integrated management device 12 indicating that the dispatch request has been accepted.

When the dispatch management unit 54 of the integrated dispatch management device 12 receives a request acceptance notification from taxi 21A in step S13, it determines that taxi 21A as the taxi to be dispatched, and in step S14 sends a dispatch confirmation notification to the user's driver app 35.

When the user's driver app 35 receives the dispatch confirmation notification in step S3, it displays the dispatch confirmation. Then, when the taxi 21A of company A assigned to the user arrives at the boarding location "X", in step S4, the user gets in the taxi 21A and starts traveling to the destination "Y".

<3. Normal vehicle dispatch processing by the vehicle dispatch integrated management device>
Next, the normal dispatch process by the integrated dispatch management device 12 will be described with reference to the flowchart of Fig. 4, which is one of the flow of dispatch control of the entire taxi dispatch system 1 described with reference to Fig. 2. The process of Fig. 4 is started, for example, when a program for executing the dispatch process is started in a server device serving as the integrated dispatch management device 12.

First, in step S41, the dispatch management unit 54 of the dispatch integrated management device 12 determines whether a dispatch request has been received from the user application 61, and waits until it is determined that a dispatch request has been received.

If it is determined in step S41 that a dispatch request has been received, the process proceeds to step S42. The dispatch request sent from the taxi 21 includes information such as the boarding location, destination, and payment method entered on the dispatch request screen of the user application 61, as described with reference to FIG. 3, as well as a user ID and name that identify the user.

In step S42, the dispatch management unit 54 refers to the vehicle status data stored in the vehicle status data management unit 51, and extracts taxis 21 that can be dispatched within a predetermined time from among the taxis 21 with an "empty" status to the boarding location for which a dispatch request has been made. For example, the dispatch management unit 54 calculates the travel time from the current position of the taxi 21 to the boarding location designated by the user for the taxis 21 with an "empty" status, and extracts taxis 21 for which the calculated travel time is within a predetermined time.

In step S43, the dispatch management unit 54 determines, from among the extracted one or more taxis 21, the taxi 21 that can arrive at the boarding location the earliest as a dispatch candidate, and in step S44, sends a dispatch request to the taxi 21 determined as the dispatch candidate.

In step S45, the dispatch management unit 54 determines whether or not a request acceptance notification has been received from the taxi 21 that sent the dispatch request.

In step S45, if a request acceptance notice is not received within a certain period of time (e.g., 15 seconds) from the taxi 21 that sent the dispatch request, or if a request rejection notice is sent, the dispatch management unit 54 determines that there is no request acceptance notice and returns the process to step S43. As a result, the next taxi 21 that can respond to the dispatch request is determined as a dispatch candidate.

On the other hand, if a request acceptance notification is received from the taxi 21 that sent the dispatch request, the dispatch management unit 54 determines in step S45 that a request acceptance notification has been received from the taxi 21 that sent the dispatch request, and proceeds to step S46.

In step S46, the dispatch management unit 54 determines the taxi 21 that has sent the request acceptance notification as the taxi 21 to be dispatched, and transmits dispatch reservation information to the determined taxi 21. The dispatch reservation information is, for example, information such as the name of the user who has requested dispatch, the boarding location, the boarding time, and the destination.

Then, in step S47, the vehicle dispatch management unit 54 sends a vehicle dispatch confirmation notification to the user application 61 that made the vehicle dispatch request.

Normal vehicle dispatch processing is carried out as described above.

When a user makes a request for dispatch, if there is one or more taxis 21 with a status of "available," the user's dispatch request can be responded to immediately, regardless of whether the user is a general member or a priority member.

<4. Flow of vehicle dispatch control when requesting transfer of vehicle dispatch rights>
Next, it is assumed that when a user makes a vehicle dispatch request, there is not even one taxi 21 whose status is "available."

If there are no "vacant" taxis 21 and the membership type of the user who made the dispatch request is a general member, the user will have to be informed that there are no "vacant" taxis 21 or asked to wait until a taxi 21 becomes available; however, the integrated dispatch management device 12 controls dispatch so as to respond to requests from priority members as much as possible.

Specifically, when a dispatch request is received from a priority member and there are no taxis 21 with a status of "vacant," the integrated dispatch management device 12 notifies the user of a taxi 21 that has already confirmed a dispatch request and is currently dispatched to a boarding location close to the boarding location of the dispatch request of the priority member, among the taxis 21 with a status of "pick-up," of a request to transfer the dispatch rights, and has the user transfer the dispatch rights, thereby executing dispatch control to respond to the dispatch request from the priority member.

Figure 5 is a flowchart explaining the flow of dispatch control for the entire taxi dispatch system 1, which handles dispatch requests from priority members by transferring dispatch rights when an "empty" taxi 21 cannot be allocated.

First, in step S61, a user who is a priority member (hereinafter simply referred to as a priority member) starts the user application 61 and inputs a boarding location "X" and a destination "Y" into the user application 61 to perform a vehicle dispatch request operation. The vehicle dispatch request operation is the same as the operation described with reference to FIG. 3.

When the operation bar 82A is slid to the right by the priority member, in step S62, the user application 61 sends a dispatch request to the dispatch integrated management device 12 together with information on the boarding location "X" and the destination "Y".

In step S81, the dispatch management unit 54 of the dispatch integrated management device 12 receives a dispatch request from the user application 61, and extracts dispatchable taxis 21 by referring to the current vehicle status data managed by the vehicle status data management unit 51. Here, it is assumed that there is no taxi 21 with a status of "vacant" among the taxis 21 closest to the boarding location "X".

Next, in step S82, the dispatch management unit 54 extracts a taxi 21 that is currently picking up a priority member near the boarding location "X". Assume that this extraction process extracts general member user A (hereinafter referred to as general user A) who has been dispatched to boarding location "X1" near the boarding location "X" and is currently picking up a taxi (waiting for the taxi 21 to arrive) and general member user B (hereinafter referred to as general user B) who has been dispatched to boarding location "X2" near the boarding location "X" and is currently picking up a taxi.

In step S83, the vehicle dispatch management unit 54 sends a transfer request to the user app 61 of general user A and the user app 61 of general user B to request the transfer of the vehicle dispatch right.

In step S101, the user application 61 of general user A receives a transfer request from the vehicle dispatch management unit 54 of the vehicle dispatch integrated management device 12 and displays a transfer request screen on the display of the user terminal 13.

In step S111, the user app 61 of general user B also receives a transfer request from the vehicle dispatch management unit 54 of the vehicle dispatch integrated management device 12 and displays a transfer request screen on the display of the user terminal 13.

Figure 6 shows an example of a transfer request screen that is displayed on the display of the user terminal 13 when a transfer request is received from the vehicle dispatch integrated management device 12.

On the transfer request screen, as shown in FIG. 6, a message 121 saying "There is someone who would like to transfer the dispatch rights to you. If you transfer, the next pick-up fee will be free. Do you want to transfer?" is displayed on the area map 81, along with a window 124 with a "Transfer" button 122 and a "Don't transfer" button 123. The "Transfer" button 122 is operated (pressed) when the user is willing to transfer. The "Don't transfer" button 123 is operated (pressed) when the user does not want to transfer.

In the processing of Figure 5, it is assumed that general user A operates the "Transfer" button 122 and general user B operates the "Do not transfer" button 123.

When general user A operates the "Transfer" button 122, in step S102, general user A's user app 61 sends a request acceptance notification to the vehicle dispatch integrated management device 12 indicating that the vehicle dispatch rights may be transferred.

When general user B operates the “Do not transfer” button 123, in step S112, general user B's user app 61 sends a request rejection notification to the vehicle dispatch integrated management device 12 indicating that the vehicle dispatch rights will not be transferred.

In step S84, the vehicle dispatch management unit 54 of the vehicle dispatch integrated management device 12 receives a request acceptance notification from the user application 61 of general user A and a request rejection notification from the user application 61 of general user B. Then, the vehicle dispatch management unit 54 determines a taxi to be dispatched to the priority member based on the received results. In this example, the taxi 21 that is picking up general user A is determined to be the taxi to be dispatched to the priority member.

In step S85, the dispatch management unit 54 transmits a change notification of the dispatch request to the driver app 35 of the taxi 21 that is currently picking up the general user A at his/her boarding location. The change notification of the dispatch request includes, for example, information indicating that the dispatch request has been changed from the previously confirmed general user A to a priority member, the name of the priority member, the changed boarding location "X", the boarding time, the destination, etc.

In step S141, the driver app 35 of the taxi 21 that is picking up the general user A acquires data regarding the change notification of the dispatch request from the vehicle dispatch integrated management device 12 and displays it on the display. Then, when the driver performs a response operation to accept the change to the dispatch request, in step S142, the driver app 35 transmits a request acceptance notification to the vehicle dispatch integrated management device 12 to accept the change to the dispatch request.

When the dispatch management unit 54 of the integrated dispatch management device 12 receives the request acceptance notification from the taxi 21, in step S86, it sends a transfer completion notification to the user application 61 of the general user A, notifying the completion of the transfer of the dispatch right. Incentive information obtained by transferring the dispatch right, such as an electronic coupon for free pick-up fee on the next trip, is also sent to the user application 61 of the general user A together with the transfer completion notification. As a result, the general user A who has transferred the dispatch right can use the electronic coupon for free pick-up fee the next time he or she makes a dispatch request.

Furthermore, in step S87, the vehicle dispatch management unit 54 sends a vehicle dispatch confirmation notification to the driver app 35 of the priority member. The order of steps S86 and S87 may be reversed, or steps S86 and S87 may be performed simultaneously (in parallel).

When the priority member's driver app 35 receives a vehicle dispatch confirmation notification in step S63, it displays the vehicle dispatch confirmation.

<5. Dispatch processing of the dispatch integrated management device that requests the transfer of dispatch rights>
Next, details of the dispatch process by the integrated dispatch management device 12 among the dispatch control processes of the entire taxi dispatch system 1 shown in Fig. 5 will be described with reference to the flowchart of Fig. 7. The process of Fig. 7 is started, for example, when a program for executing the dispatch process is started in a server device serving as the integrated dispatch management device 12.

First, in step S181, the dispatch management unit 54 of the dispatch integrated management device 12 determines whether a dispatch request has been received from the user application 61, and waits until it is determined that a dispatch request has been received.

If it is determined in step S181 that a dispatch request has been received, the process proceeds to step S182. In the dispatch process of FIG. 7, as in FIG. 5, the dispatch request received in step S181 is a dispatch request from a priority member, and the boarding location is "X" and the destination is "Y".

In step S182, the dispatch management unit 54 refers to the vehicle status data stored in the vehicle status data management unit 51, and extracts from among the taxis 21 with a status of "vacant" a taxi 21 that can be dispatched to the boarding location for which a dispatch request has been made within a specified period of time.

In step S183, the dispatch management unit 54 determines whether normal dispatch is possible, in other words, whether there is a taxi 21 with a status of "available" that can be dispatched within a specified time to the boarding location "X" for which a dispatch request has been made.

If it is determined in step S183 that normal vehicle dispatch is possible, the process proceeds to step S184, where the vehicle dispatch management unit 54 executes normal vehicle dispatch processing. Specifically, the normal vehicle dispatch processing in step S184 is the same as the processing in steps S43 to S47 in FIG. 4.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S183 that normal dispatch is not possible, processing proceeds to step S185, in which the dispatch management unit 54 determines whether the user of the user application 61 that sent the dispatch request is a priority member.

If it is determined in step S185 that the user is not a priority member, the process proceeds to step S186, and the dispatch management unit 54 sends a message such as "Currently, there are no taxis available for dispatch in the vicinity. Please consider changing the dispatch time" to the user application 61, suggesting to the user that the dispatch time be changed. Therefore, if the user is a general member, the process of requesting the transfer of dispatch rights is not executed.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S185 that the user is a priority member, the process proceeds to step S187, and the dispatch management unit 54 refers to the vehicle status data in the vehicle status data management unit 51 to determine whether there is a taxi 21 currently picking up a priority member near the boarding location "X". The vicinity of the boarding location "X" is, for example, an area within a predetermined distance or time from the boarding location "X".

In the dispatch process of Figure 7, similar to the process described in Figure 5, it is assumed that there is a general user A who is waiting for a taxi 21 to arrive (being picked up) at a boarding location "X1" near the boarding location "X", and a general user B who is waiting for a taxi 21 to arrive (being picked up) at a boarding location "X2" near the boarding location "X".

If it is determined in step S187 that there is no taxi 21 available to pick up the priority member near the boarding location "X", the process proceeds to step S186 described above. In this case, the dispatch management unit 54 sends a message to the user application 61 such as "Currently, there are no taxis available for dispatch in the vicinity. Please consider changing the dispatch time."

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S187 that a taxi 21 is present near the boarding location "X" of the priority member, the process proceeds to step S188, and the dispatch management unit 54 transmits a request for transfer of the dispatch right to the user application 61 of the user of the taxi 21 that is present near the boarding location "X". Specifically, the request for transfer of the dispatch right is transmitted to the user application 61 of the general user A and the user application 61 of the general user B.

Then, in step S189, the vehicle dispatch management unit 54 waits for a response to the transmitted request for the transfer of the vehicle dispatch rights, i.e., a request acceptance notice or a request rejection notice, and determines whether a request acceptance notice has been received from one or more users (user applications 61). If the vehicle dispatch management unit 54 does not receive a request acceptance notice from a user who transmitted a request for the transfer of the vehicle dispatch rights within a certain period of time (e.g., 15 seconds), it recognizes that the request has been rejected and can treat it as if it had received a request rejection notice.

If it is determined in step S189 that there is no request acceptance notification from one or more users (user applications 61), i.e., that request rejection notifications have been received from all users, the process proceeds to step S186 described above. In this case, a message indicating that a taxi is unavailable, such as "There are no taxis available for dispatch in the vicinity," is sent from the dispatch management unit 54 to the user application 61.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S189 that a request acceptance notification has been received from one or more users (user apps 61), processing proceeds to step S190, and the dispatch management unit 54 determines whether a request acceptance notification has been received from one user.

If it is determined in step S190 that only one user has received a request acceptance notification, the process proceeds to step S191, and the dispatch management unit 54 determines that the taxi 21 currently picking up the user who has received the request acceptance notification (user A in the example of Figure 5) is the taxi to be dispatched to the priority member.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S190 that the request acceptance notices have been received from multiple users, the process proceeds to step S192, where the vehicle dispatch management unit 54 determines a taxi to be dispatched to the priority member from among the multiple users who have received the request acceptance notice. For example, the vehicle dispatch management unit 54 determines the taxi 21 that can arrive at the boarding location "X" of the priority member earliest among the taxis 21 currently being picked up and assigned to each of the multiple users who have received the request acceptance notice, as the taxi to be dispatched to the priority member. Also, for example, when the user who is the transferor applies for an amount of money as a reward for the transfer of the vehicle dispatch right, the vehicle dispatch management unit 54 determines the taxi to be dispatched to the priority member from the taxi 21 currently being picked up and assigned to the user who has the lowest transfer amount among the multiple users who have received the request acceptance notice. The application for the transfer amount may be made by the user in the window 124 of FIG. 6 in which the user confirms whether or not he/she wishes to transfer the vehicle dispatch right, or the allowable amount when the user transfers the vehicle dispatch right may be set in advance on the setting screen of the user application 61, etc.

For example, if there are multiple membership types, such as gold membership, silver membership, and bronze membership, and the multiple users who have responded to the request acceptance notice have different membership types, the taxi 21 currently being picked up and assigned to a user with a lower membership type may be determined as the taxi to be dispatched to the priority member. Also, for example, the multiple users who have responded to the request acceptance notice may negotiate, for example, through the driver app 35, to determine the user to whom the dispatch right will be transferred.

When the taxi 21 to which the dispatch right is to be transferred is determined by the processing of step S191 or step S192, in step S193, the dispatch management unit 54 sends a change notification of the dispatch request to the driver app 35 of the taxi 21 to which the dispatch right is to be transferred, in the above example, the taxi 21 to which the dispatch right is to be transferred, the taxi 21 to which the dispatch management unit 54 sends a change notification of the dispatch request to the driver app 35 of the taxi 21 to which the general user A is to be transferred, in the above example. The driver of the taxi 21 to which the general user A is to be transferred, confirms the change information of the dispatch request displayed on the display by the driver app 35, and performs an operation to accept the change of the dispatch request. Based on the driver's operation, a request acceptance notification to accept the change of the dispatch request is sent from the driver app 35 to the dispatch integration management device 12, and is received by the dispatch integration management device 12.

In step S194, the vehicle dispatch management unit 54 sends a transfer completion notification to the user application 61 of general user A indicating that the transfer of the vehicle dispatch right has been completed, and also sends incentive information obtained by transferring the vehicle dispatch right.

In step S195, the dispatch management unit 54 sends a dispatch confirmation notification to the user application 61 of the priority member, indicating that dispatch has been confirmed in response to the dispatch request. The dispatch confirmation notification includes information such as the number identifying the dispatched taxi 21, the taxi company name, the radio number, and the pick-up arrival time, and is displayed on the display of the user terminal 13. The pick-up arrival time is the scheduled time that the dispatched taxi 21 will arrive at the boarding location "X". In addition, the estimated fare from the boarding location "X" to the destination "Y" and the estimated arrival time (estimated travel time) may also be displayed. The order of steps S194 and S195 may be reversed, or they may be performed simultaneously (in parallel).

As described above, with the vehicle dispatch control that allows the transfer of vehicle dispatch rights, even if a vehicle dispatch request is received from a priority member and there are no taxis 21 with an "available" status, a taxi 21 that has been assigned to a vehicle dispatch request from another general member user can be assigned to the priority member user. This can improve the probability of responding to a vehicle dispatch request from a specific user such as a priority member.

In addition, general users who agree to transfer their dispatch rights will be given incentives such as electronic coupons, electronic money, points, etc. that can be used the next time a car is dispatched, such as free pick-up fees and priority reservation rights. This allows the person who transferred the dispatch rights to enjoy certain benefits, which encourages the transfer of dispatch rights.

In the above-described embodiment, the membership types of users of the user application 61 are divided into general members and priority members, and users who are priority members can transfer vehicle dispatch rights, but it is also possible to make it possible to acquire the right to have vehicle dispatch rights transferred to them without dividing users into general members and priority members, for example, by paying a specified additional fee each time a vehicle dispatch request is made.

For example, when the dispatch management unit 54 extracts taxis 21 that can respond to a dispatch request and determines that there are no taxis 21 with a status of "available," it displays a dispatch request screen such as that shown in FIG. 8 on the user app 61 of the user who performed the dispatch request operation.

On the dispatch request screen of Figure 8, a message 141 reading "There are no taxis available for dispatch in the vicinity. XX people are waiting for a dispatch ahead of you. Would you like to use the priority dispatch right?" is displayed on an area map 81, along with a window 144 having a "Use" button 142 and a "Do not use" button 143. The "Use" button 142 is operated (pressed) when the user wishes to use the priority dispatch right. The "Do not use" button 143 is operated (pressed) when the user does not wish to use the priority dispatch right. When the user uses the priority dispatch right, a specified fee is paid for each use, for example by credit card payment.

In the vehicle dispatch control described with reference to Figs. 5 to 7, when it is determined that the user is a priority member and there is no "vacant" taxi 21 available to respond to the dispatch request, a search is performed for a dispatchable taxi 21 among the taxis 21 that are currently picking up general members. However, even if the user is a priority member, the vehicle dispatch request screen of Fig. 8 may be displayed to confirm whether or not to use the priority dispatch right, and then a search may be performed for a dispatchable taxi 21. Alternatively, when it is determined that there is no "vacant" taxi 21 available for dispatch, a message such as "There are no taxis available for dispatch in the vicinity. XX people are waiting for dispatch ahead of you. Priority dispatch will be performed" may be displayed to notify the priority member that priority dispatch is being performed. When it is notified that priority dispatch is being performed, if there is no taxi 21 that is likely to be transferred, a message indicating the execution result of priority dispatch may be displayed, such as "There were no taxis available to transfer the dispatch right."

If a taxi 21 is available to pick up a preferred member near the boarding location "X" but is rejected by all users, the incentive may be changed to favor the transferor user, such as by increasing the remuneration or discount amount, and a request for transfer of the vehicle dispatch rights may be sent again. The user to whom the vehicle dispatch rights are being transferred may be asked to confirm whether to change the remuneration, for example, "There were no taxis available to transfer the vehicle dispatch rights. Would you like to change the remuneration?" Either the user to whom the vehicle dispatch rights are being transferred (transferee) or the user transferring the vehicle dispatch rights (transferor) may take the initiative and propose a change in incentive, and the transferee and transferor may negotiate to determine the incentive and decide whether to transfer the vehicle dispatch rights.

A user (transferee) who wishes to transfer the vehicle dispatch rights may appeal the reason to the user (transferor) transferring the vehicle dispatch rights via the user application 61. For example, the user may input information such as "I'm going to be late for a university entrance exam," "I won't be able to make it to an important meeting," "I'm in a place where there are no available taxis," etc., into the user application 61 and notify the transferor.

In the dispatch control described with reference to Figures 5 to 7, the users to whom the dispatch rights are to be transferred are limited to general members, and a search is conducted for taxis 21 available for dispatch and available to pick up a driver. However, the users to whom the dispatch rights are to be transferred may not be limited to general members, and the search may also include priority members.

In addition, on the setting screen of the user application 61, whether the dispatch rights may be transferred, and if so, what the minimum remuneration is, are preregistered as setting information, and the dispatch integrated management device 12 can acquire the user's setting information and store it as customer data in the customer data management unit 52. In this case, the dispatch integrated management device 12 searches for users who are able to request the transfer of the dispatch rights from among the taxis 21 en route (being picked up) for the user who is set to be allowed to transfer the dispatch rights, and does not send a request to transfer the dispatch rights to users who are set to not want to transfer the dispatch rights.

Alternatively, rather than basing the calculation on the user's setting information, a message such as "You may receive a request to transfer your dispatch rights. If a transfer request is received, would you like to transfer the right?" may be displayed each time a dispatch request is made, and the user's ability to transfer the right may be confirmed each time, and a search may be conducted for users to whom a transfer request can be made from among the taxis 21 of users who have responded that the right can be transferred.

Taxis 21 for which the dispatch rights may be transferred and taxis 21 for which the dispatch rights may not be transferred may be set separately so that users can recognize them. In this case, a user who is dispatched with a taxi 21 for which the dispatch rights may be transferred can anticipate a request for the transfer of the dispatch rights. A user who wants to earn an incentive may deliberately use a taxi 21 for which the dispatch rights may be transferred. The set number and ratio of taxis 21 for which the dispatch rights may be transferred and taxis 21 for which the dispatch rights may not be transferred can be flexibly set depending on the business area, business hours, weather, whether or not there is an event, etc.

6. Variation for requesting a ride together
In the above embodiment, a user to whom the right to dispatch a vehicle can be transferred is searched for among taxis 21 that can arrive within a certain distance or time range centered on the boarding location "X" of the priority member's dispatch request, and a transfer request is made. The user who transferred the right to dispatch a vehicle must search for another taxi 21 again or travel by alternative means such as a train or bus.

Another method of vehicle dispatch control by the integrated vehicle dispatch management device 12 is to search for users who have made vehicle dispatch requests close to the boarding location "X" and destination "Y" of the priority member's vehicle dispatch request, send a ride request to the users, and if a request acceptance notice is received, ride together. In this case, both the user transferring the ride right and the user receiving the ride can use a taxi 21 to arrive at the destination.

Figure 9 shows an example of a ride-along request screen that is displayed on the display of the user terminal 13 to which the ride-along request is sent when the vehicle dispatch integrated management device 12 sends a ride-along request to a user app 61 of a user who is requesting a ride close to the boarding location "X" and destination "Y" of the ride-along request.

The ride-along request screen in Figure 9 displays a message 161 stating, "Someone wants to ride with you. If you allow them to ride with you, the fare to their destination will be 0 yen. Do you want to allow them to ride with you?" along with a window 164 that includes an "Allow" button 162 and a "Do not allow" button 163. The "Allow" button 162 is operated (pressed) if the user is willing to allow the person to ride with them. The "Do not allow" button 163 is operated (pressed) if the user does not want to allow the person to ride with them.

On the area map 81, a boarding location mark 181 indicating the boarding location of the user who has been requested to ride with the passenger, a destination mark 182 indicating the destination, and the planned driving route 183 of the user who has been requested to ride with the passenger are displayed. Also displayed are a boarding location mark 184 indicating the boarding location of the user who wishes to ride with the passenger, and a destination mark 185 indicating the destination.

By referring to the ride-along request screen in FIG. 9, the user who has been requested to ride along can check the proximity (distance) of the boarding location and destination of the user who requested the ride along to their own boarding location and destination, and can check an estimate for when the fare will be 0 yen as an incentive. The user who has been requested to ride along can inquire whether it is OK to change their destination to match the destination of the user who requested the ride along, and if the change is permitted, an incentive can be given to the user who has been requested to ride along.

The vehicle dispatch control process when a request for a ride-along is made is basically similar to the process of Fig. 5 and Fig. 7 when a request for the transfer of the vehicle dispatch right is made, so a detailed description is omitted. The vehicle dispatch control process when a request for a ride-along is made differs from the process of a request for the transfer of the vehicle dispatch right in that when extracting a taxi 21 available for a ride-along, not only the boarding location but also the destination must be taken into consideration, and the fare of the transferor can be discounted as an incentive.

For users whose boarding location and destination are both close by, both a request to transfer the ride dispatch rights and a request to ride along may be sent, and the user may be asked whether they would be willing to accept either one.

Furthermore, both a request to transfer the vehicle dispatch rights and a request to ride together can be sent to potential users who are close to the desired user in terms of boarding location but somewhat distant in terms of destination, and they can be asked whether to accept the request. If the request to ride together is accepted, an incentive can be given such that if the transferor gets off at the destination first, the fare to the transferor's destination will be free (paid by the transferee), or if the transferee gets off at the destination first, the fare to the transferee's destination will be free (paid by the transferee).

<7. Variations in Transfer of Vehicle Allocation Rights>
In the above-described embodiment, when a user who is a priority member makes a request for dispatch, if there is not a single taxi 21 with a status of "available," the integrated dispatch management device 12 extracts from among the taxis 21 that are available to pick up a user and that is closest to the boarding location "X" of the priority member who wishes to dispatch a vehicle.

In addition, the vehicle dispatch integrated management device 12 may extract a taxi 21 that is close to the boarding location "X" of the priority member who wishes to dispatch a taxi from among the taxis 21 that are actually carrying a user, and send a ride request or a transfer request to the user of that taxi 21 (the user application 61 of the user). In the case of a ride request, as in the modified example of the ride request described above, the transferor may discount the fare for the portion of the route on which the transferee rides or a part of the total fare as an incentive. In the case of a transfer request, as an incentive for the transferor, the fare incurred by the transferor until the transferor transfers to the transferee may be free, and instead, the transferee may pay the fare. When the transferor transfers to the transferee and gets off the taxi 21, the vehicle dispatch management unit 54 of the vehicle dispatch integrated management device 12 may request a replacement taxi 21, and as an incentive for the transferor, the fare of the replacement taxi 21 may be free or a discounted fare. When there are multiple users who can accept a ride request or transfer request, the user with the shortest remaining distance to the destination may be set as the transferor to determine the taxi 21 to ride with or transfer.

If there is no taxi 21 waiting to pick up a priority member near the boarding location "X" and there is no user who is willing to transfer the dispatch right or allow the user to ride along, the system can control the system so that a user with a confirmed dispatch reservation can be asked to postpone the dispatch reservation time by about 30 minutes to an hour, and an incentive is given to that user if the time of the dispatch reservation is postponed.

Situations where there is high demand for taxis and no "empty" taxis 21 may be predictable based on location, time, weather, and other conditions, for example, in areas where there are no other means of transportation such as buses, or during times when people are most likely to commute to work or school.

When a dispatch request is made from the user application 61 of a user at a time or place where such a tight taxi supply and demand is expected, the dispatch management unit 54 can make a suggestion to avoid crowded times or places (boarding point, destination). When a user changes the time or place of the dispatch request in response to a request from the dispatch management unit 54, control can be performed to give an incentive to the user.

8. Summary of the embodiment
As described above, according to the taxi dispatch system 1, which is an embodiment to which the present technology is applied, the dispatch management unit 54 of the dispatch integration management device 12, for example, when a dispatch request is received from a user of a priority member and there is no taxi 21 with a status of "vacant", searches for taxis 21 that are moving to a location within a predetermined range from the boarding location "X" input by the user of the priority member in the dispatch request, and extracts the taxis 21 of user A and user B. The dispatch management unit 54 transmits a request for transfer of dispatch rights or permission to ride in the taxi 21 to the terminal device 13 of user A or user B (first user) for which dispatch of the taxi 21 has been confirmed, and when a notification of approval of the request is received from the terminal device 13 of user A or user B, transmits to the terminal device 13 of the user of the priority member (second user) that dispatch or riding is possible.

This can improve the probability of responding to vehicle requests from specific users, such as priority members.

In the above-described embodiment, an example of controlling the dispatch of a taxi has been described as a mobile device, but the present invention can also be applied to other mobile devices that carry passengers (people), specifically, buses, trains, airplanes, ships, helicopters, etc., as well as mobile devices that carry objects (luggage), trucks, dump trucks, etc. The mobile device may also be an unmanned device such as a drone.

9. Example of computer configuration
The above-mentioned series of processes can be executed by hardware or software. When the series of processes is executed by software, the programs constituting the software are installed in a computer. Here, the computer includes a microcomputer built into dedicated hardware, and a general-purpose personal computer, for example, capable of executing various functions by installing various programs.

Figure 12 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of a computer when the computer executes each process performed by the integrated dispatch management device 12, the user terminal 13, or the terminal device 33 using a program.

In the computer, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 201, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 202, and a RAM (Random Access Memory) 203 are interconnected by a bus 204.

An input/output interface 205 is further connected to the bus 204. An input unit 206, an output unit 207, a memory unit 208, a communication unit 209, and a drive 210 are connected to the input/output interface 205.

The input unit 206 includes operation buttons, a keyboard, a mouse, a microphone, a touch panel, an input terminal, etc. The output unit 207 includes a display, a speaker, an output terminal, etc. The storage unit 208 includes a hard disk, a RAM disk, a non-volatile memory, etc. The communication unit 209 includes a network interface, etc. The drive 210 drives a removable recording medium 211 such as a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, or a semiconductor memory.

In the computer configured as above, the CPU 201 loads, for example, a program stored in the storage unit 208 into the RAM 203 via the input/output interface 205 and the bus 204, and executes the program, thereby carrying out the above-mentioned series of processes. The RAM 203 also stores data necessary for the CPU 201 to execute various processes, as appropriate.

The program executed by the computer (CPU 201) can be provided, for example, by recording it on a removable recording medium 211 such as a package medium. The program can also be provided via a wired or wireless transmission medium such as a local area network, the Internet, or digital satellite broadcasting.

In a computer, a program can be installed in the storage unit 208 via the input/output interface 205 by inserting the removable recording medium 211 into the drive 210. The program can also be received by the communication unit 209 via a wired or wireless transmission medium and installed in the storage unit 208. Alternatively, the program can be pre-installed in the ROM 202 or storage unit 208.

In this specification, a system refers to a collection of multiple components (devices, modules (parts), etc.), regardless of whether all the components are in the same housing. Thus, multiple devices housed in separate housings and connected via a network, and a single device in which multiple modules are housed in a single housing, are both systems.

In this specification, the steps described in the flowcharts may of course be performed chronologically in the order described, but they do not necessarily have to be processed chronologically and may be executed in parallel or at the required timing, such as when a call is made.

The embodiments of the present technology are not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the present technology.

For example, a combination of all or part of the above-described embodiments may be adopted.

For example, this technology can be configured as cloud computing, in which a single function is shared and processed collaboratively by multiple devices over a network.

In addition, each step described in the above flowchart can be executed by a single device, or can be shared and executed by multiple devices.

Furthermore, when a single step includes multiple processes, the multiple processes included in that single step can be executed by a single device, or can be shared and executed by multiple devices.

Note that the effects described in this specification are merely examples and are not limiting, and there may be effects other than those described in this specification.

The present technology can have the following configurations.
(1)
A vehicle dispatch management device comprising: a management unit that transmits a request for transfer of the right to dispatch a vehicle or permission to ride on the mobile device to a terminal device of a first user for whom dispatch of the mobile device has been confirmed, and when a notification of approval of the request is received from the terminal device of the first user, transmits to the terminal device of a second user a notification that the vehicle dispatch or ride is possible.
(2)
The vehicle dispatch management device according to (1), wherein the management unit transmits incentive information to the terminal device of the first user when a notification of acceptance of the request is received from the terminal device of the first user.
(3)
The first user and the second user are registered as different user types,
The vehicle dispatch management device according to (1) or (2), wherein the second user is a type that is given priority in dispatching over the first user.
(4)
The first user to whom the request is sent is a user for whom dispatch of the mobile device moving to a location within a predetermined range from a boarding location specified by the second user has been confirmed.
(5)
The vehicle dispatch management device according to any one of (1) to (4), wherein the management unit transmits a request for transfer of the dispatch right or permission to ride in the mobile device to each of the terminal devices of the first users whose dispatch of a mobile device has been confirmed.
(6)
When the management unit receives notifications approving the request from multiple terminal devices of the first user, it determines the mobile device to be dispatched to the first user that can arrive at the boarding location specified by the second user the earliest, as the mobile device to be assigned to the second user.The vehicle dispatch management device described in (5).
(7)
When the management unit receives notifications approving the request from multiple terminal devices of the first users, it determines the mobile device to be allocated to the second user that is to be dispatched to the first user for the lowest fee for the transfer of the dispatch rights or permission to ride in the mobile device.The vehicle dispatch management device described in (5).
(8)
The management unit transmits to the terminal device of the second user whether or not to perform preferential vehicle dispatch, and when a reply is received that preferential vehicle dispatch will be performed, transmits a request for transfer of the vehicle dispatch right or permission to ride on the mobile device to the terminal device of the first user for whom the dispatch of a mobile device has been confirmed.The vehicle dispatch management device described in any of (1) to (7).
(9)
The management unit transmits the request to the terminal device of the first user, and if the request is rejected by the first user, changes incentive information to be transmitted to the terminal device of the first user if the request is accepted, and transmits the request again. The vehicle dispatch management device described in any of (1) to (8).
(10)
The vehicle dispatch management device according to any one of (1) to (9), wherein when the management unit receives a notification approving the request from the terminal device of the first user, the management unit sends a notification of a change in dispatch of the mobile device to the terminal device mounted on the mobile device.
(11)
The vehicle dispatch management device,
A vehicle dispatch management method, comprising: transmitting a request for transfer of the right to dispatch a vehicle or permission to ride on the mobile device to a terminal device of a first user for whom dispatch of the vehicle has been confirmed; and, when a notification that the request is approved is received from the terminal device of the first user, transmitting to the terminal device of a second user a notification that the vehicle dispatch or ride is possible.
(12)
On the computer,
A process of receiving a request for transfer of a right to dispatch a vehicle of a mobile device or permission to ride on the mobile device from a vehicle dispatch management device;
A process of transmitting a notification of acceptance of the request to the vehicle dispatch management device;
receiving incentive information from the vehicle dispatch management device in response to a notification of acceptance of the request.

1 Taxi dispatch system, 11 Dispatch management device, 12 Dispatch integrated management device, 13 Terminal device (user terminal), 21 Taxi, 31 In-vehicle device, 33 Terminal device, 34 Vehicle movement data generation unit, 35 Driver application, 41 Vehicle movement data management unit, 42 Order information management unit, 51 Vehicle movement data management unit, 52 Customer data management unit, 53 Order information management unit, 54 Dispatch management unit, 61 User application, 201 CPU, 202 ROM, 203 RAM, 206 Input unit, 207 Output unit, 208 Memory unit, 209 Communication unit, 210 Drive

Claims (12)

A vehicle dispatch management device comprising: a management unit that transmits a request for transfer of a right to dispatch a vehicle to a terminal device of a first user for which dispatch of the vehicle has been confirmed, and, when a notification of approval of the request is received from the terminal device of the first user, transmits a notification that the vehicle dispatch is possible to the terminal device of a second user. The vehicle dispatch management device according to claim 1 , wherein the management unit transmits incentive information to the terminal device of the first user when the management unit receives a notification from the terminal device of the first user that the request is accepted. The first user and the second user are registered as different user types,
The vehicle dispatch management device according to claim 1 , wherein the second user is a type that is given a higher priority in dispatching than the first user. The vehicle dispatch management device according to claim 1 , wherein the first user to whom the request is sent is a user for whom dispatch of the mobile device moving to a location within a predetermined range from a boarding location specified by the second user has been confirmed. The vehicle allocation management device according to claim 1 , wherein the management unit transmits a request for transfer of the vehicle allocation right to each of the terminal devices of the first users whose vehicle allocations have been confirmed. The vehicle dispatch management device of claim 5, wherein when the management unit receives notifications approving the request from multiple terminal devices of the first user, the management unit determines that the mobile device to be dispatched to the first user that can arrive at the boarding location specified by the second user the earliest is the mobile device to be assigned to the second user. The vehicle dispatch management device of claim 5, wherein when the management unit receives notifications approving the request from multiple terminal devices of the first users, the management unit determines the mobile device to be dispatched to the first user that has the lowest amount for the transfer of the vehicle dispatch rights as the mobile device to be assigned to the second user. The vehicle dispatch management device according to claim 1, wherein the management unit transmits to the terminal device of the second user a request as to whether or not preferential vehicle dispatch will be performed, and when a reply is received indicating that preferential vehicle dispatch will be performed, transmits a request for transfer of the vehicle dispatch rights to the terminal device of the first user for which dispatch of a mobile device has been confirmed. The vehicle dispatch management device according to claim 1, wherein the management unit transmits the request to the terminal device of the first user, and if the request is rejected by the first user, changes incentive information to be transmitted to the terminal device of the first user if the request is accepted, and transmits the request again. The vehicle dispatch management device according to claim 1, wherein when the management unit receives a notification from the terminal device of the first user that the request is accepted, the management unit transmits a notification of a change in dispatch of the mobile device to the terminal device mounted on the mobile device. The vehicle dispatch management device,
A vehicle dispatch management method, comprising: transmitting a request for transfer of vehicle dispatch rights to a terminal device of a first user for which dispatch of a mobile device has been confirmed; and, when a notification of approval of the request is received from the terminal device of the first user, transmitting a notification that the vehicle dispatch is possible to the terminal device of a second user. On the computer,
receiving a request for transfer of a right to dispatch a vehicle of a mobile device from a vehicle dispatch management device;
A process of transmitting a notification of acceptance of the request to the vehicle dispatch management device;
receiving incentive information from the vehicle dispatch management device in response to a notification of acceptance of the request.

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