TRANSPORT INFORMATION SYSTEM
First Claim
1. A transport information system for determining and communicating fees or incentives to a fleet of vehicles engaged in transportation service of people or materials, the system comprising:
- a fee/incentive determiner for determining a fee or incentive for each route or trip, the fee or incentive computed at least in part on the basis of estimated fare revenue from servicing a given route or trip; and
a communications apparatus to communicate the determined fees or incentives from the fee/incentive determiner to the drivers of the fleet of vehicles.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A transport information system provides information and communications to enable the self-directed coordination of multiple vehicles engaged in a transportation service primarily targeted at passengers. The system provides the driver of each vehicle with information comprising a choice of routes or trips requiring service, each with a corresponding fee to be charged to the driver, or an incentive to be paid to the driver. A fee/incentive determiner determines the fees and incentives based on a number of factors, which may include an estimate of fare revenue anticipated for servicing the routes or trips. The transport information system strives to offset differences in fare revenue between the various routes or trips by varying the fees and incentives, thus motivating the drivers to service all the route and trips.
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Citations
10 Claims
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1. A transport information system for determining and communicating fees or incentives to a fleet of vehicles engaged in transportation service of people or materials, the system comprising:
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a fee/incentive determiner for determining a fee or incentive for each route or trip, the fee or incentive computed at least in part on the basis of estimated fare revenue from servicing a given route or trip; and a communications apparatus to communicate the determined fees or incentives from the fee/incentive determiner to the drivers of the fleet of vehicles. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3)
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4. A transport information system for self-directed coordination of a fleet of vehicles engaged in transportation service of people or materials, the system comprising:
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a route/trip evaluator including a fee/incentive determiner for determining a fee or incentive for each route or trip, the fee or incentive computed at least in part on the basis of estimated fare revenue from servicing a given route or trip; and a communications subsystem including a bidirectional communication channel for passing the determined fees or incentives from the fee/incentive determiner to the drivers of the fleet of vehicles, and for passing the choices of routes and trips the drivers of the vehicles wish to service to the route/trip evaluator. - View Dependent Claims (5, 6, 7)
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8. A transport information system for self-directed coordination of a fleet of vehicles engaged in transportation service of people or materials, the system comprising:
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in-vehicle systems installed in each vehicle, for communicating the determined fees or incentives from the fee/incentive determiner to the drivers of the fleet of vehicles, for allowing the drivers of the fleet of vehicles to communicate choices of routes and trips they wish to service to the route/trip evaluator, and additionally for collecting real-time data and communicating this data to the route/trip evaluator, the in-vehicle system including a GPS unit; a route/trip evaluator including a fee/incentive determiner for determining a fee or incentive for each route or trip, the fee or incentive computed at least in part on the basis of estimated fare revenue from servicing a given route or trip and information from the GPS; and a communications subsystem including a bidirectional communication channel for passing information between the in-vehicle systems and the route/trip evaluator. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10)
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Specification