JP7808672B2 - Taxi information processing method, taxi information processing system, server device, user terminal device, and computer program - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a taxi information processing method, taxi information processing system, server device, user terminal device, and computer program that perform processes related to the calculation or payment of taxi fares.

Traditionally, taxi fares have been calculated based on the distance and travel time of the taxi. When a user uses a taxi, the fare increases as the taxi travels, and the fare is finalized when the taxi arrives at the destination, and the user pays the final fare to the taxi driver. Taxi fares can be paid using cash, credit cards, electronic money, etc.

Patent Document 1 proposes a cardless payment system that does not require a credit card payment terminal. In this cardless payment system, when a customer requests a card payment from a business, the business enters the payment amount and the customer's terminal phone number into the business's terminal, which then sends the information to an operator server to request payment. The operator server sends approval information to the customer's terminal, and if the customer determines that the approval information is correct, the customer terminal sends a payment request to an intermediary server. The intermediary server requests a billing request from the card company server, receives the payment result from the card company server, and notifies the operator server of the payment result.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2019-153067

When using a traditional taxi, users may feel uneasy because they do not know the fare they will have to pay until the taxi arrives at their destination.

The present invention was made in light of these circumstances, and its purpose is to provide a taxi information processing method, taxi information processing system, server device, user terminal device, and computer program that are expected to give users a sense of security.

In one embodiment, a taxi information processing method determines a driving route based on the desired boarding point and destination of a user wishing to ride in a taxi, determines a prepayment fare for the taxi ride based on the determined driving route, displays the determined driving route and the prepayment fare on a user terminal device used by the user and a taxi terminal device used by the taxi driver, and stores the determined driving route in a database.

In one embodiment, this is expected to give users a sense of security.

Overview of the taxi information processing system Configuration of the ride-hailing app server device Fee calculation database User DB Taxi DB Order management DB Dispatch history DB User terminal device configuration Configuration of the payment server device of the payment company Payment company's payment database Taxi terminal device configuration Fare meter and passenger terminal device configuration Vehicle dispatch request processing diagram Vehicle dispatch request screen on user terminal device Taxi terminal device dispatch request acceptance screen Taxi cancellation flow Cancellation acceptance screen on taxi terminal device Payment approval screen Overall payment processing flow User terminal device processing flow Processing flow of the ride-hailing app server device Processing flow of the ride-hailing app server device Taxi terminal device processing flow Taxi terminal device processing flow Information storage processing for the ride-hailing app server device Dispatch history screen Fee calculation DB of Modification 1 Route selection screen of the second embodiment Information display screen of embodiment 2 Information display screen of embodiment 2 Taxi selection screen according to the second embodiment Processing flow of the vehicle-dispatch application server device according to the second embodiment

Specific examples of a taxi information processing system according to an embodiment of the present invention are described below with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to these examples, but is defined by the claims, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims.

First Embodiment
<System Overview>
1 is a schematic diagram for explaining an overview of a taxi information processing system according to this embodiment. The taxi information processing system according to this embodiment is configured to include a taxi-dispatch application server device 11, a taxi terminal system 20 provided in one or more taxis 2, and a user terminal device 31 used by one or more users 3. Note that the taxi information processing system according to this embodiment can perform simultaneous and parallel processing for multiple taxis 2 and multiple users 3, but FIG. 1 illustrates only one taxi 2 and one user 3.

The taxi-dispatch app server device 11 of the taxi information processing system according to this embodiment can communicate with external devices, such as an information processing device 13 managed and operated by a taxi company and a payment server device 14 managed and operated by a payment company, via a network such as the Internet. The taxi-dispatch app server device 11 performs taxi dispatch processing and taxi fare calculation processing in cooperation with devices such as the information processing device 13 and the payment server device 14. While this embodiment describes the taxi-dispatch app server device 11 as a single device, this is not limited to this, and the taxi-dispatch app server device 11 may be realized by the cooperation of multiple devices. The taxi-dispatch app server device 11 may also be configured to perform some or all of the processing performed by the information processing device 13 and the payment server device 14.

In the taxi information processing system according to this embodiment, user 3 can use user terminal device 31 to request the dispatch of a taxi 2. At this time, user 3 can use user terminal device 31 to specify the desired boarding point and destination point (drop-off point) of taxi 2. If the desired boarding point is user 3's current location, the user specifies the destination point, and the desired boarding point can be determined based on location information obtained from a GPS (Global Positioning System) or the like. The user's taxi dispatch request is transmitted from user terminal device 31 to taxi dispatch app server device 11 via a network such as a mobile phone communication network, a wireless LAN (Local Area Network), or the Internet.

The taxi-dispatch application server device 11 determines the route for the taxi 2 based on the user 3's desired boarding point and destination, and calculates the fare for the taxi 2 to travel along this route. In the taxi information processing system according to this embodiment, the fare calculated by the taxi-dispatch application server device 11 is confirmed as the advance fare, and the user 3 who uses the taxi 2 pays this advance fare. Information on the route determined by the taxi-dispatch application server device 11 and the confirmed advance fare is transmitted from the taxi-dispatch application server device 11 to the user terminal device 31 and presented to the user 3. At this time, the taxi-dispatch application server device 11 may transmit information on multiple routes and advance fare as candidates, and the user 3 may select one of the multiple candidates. Furthermore, if the user 3 has a discount coupon or the like, the taxi-dispatch application server device 11 may calculate the advance fare by applying this discount.

In this embodiment, the amount determined in advance by the taxi information processing system is called the "advance fare," but this is just one example and may be called by various names, such as "pre-determined fare," "advance fare," "fixed fare," "pre-determined fee," or "fixed fee." The "advance fare" includes the fare for the taxi trip, and other fees such as highway tolls, pick-up fees, or parking fees may or may not be included in the "advance fare." If fees such as highway tolls are not included in the "advance fare," the amount ultimately paid by the passenger will be the amount determined in advance by adding the highway toll, etc. to the pre-determined "advance fare."

A taxi 2 is dispatched when User 3 approves the route and advance fare presented to them on the user terminal device 31. User 3's approval is transmitted from the user terminal device 31 to the taxi-dispatch app server device 11, which then determines the taxi 2 to be dispatched to User 3. The taxi-dispatch app server device 11 manages information about multiple taxis 2, such as their locations and whether they have passengers, and selects one taxi 2 from the multiple taxis 2 that best suits the request. For example, the taxi-dispatch app server device 11 transmits information about the determined route and the confirmed advance fare to a taxi 2 located near User 3's desired boarding point, and requests the taxi to be dispatched.

In this embodiment, the taxi terminal system 20 provided in the taxi 2 is composed of devices such as a taxi terminal device 21, a fare meter 22, and a passenger terminal device 23. The taxi terminal device 21 is a terminal device used by the driver of the taxi 2. It receives a dispatch request from the dispatch app server device 11, displays information on the route and advance fare, and accepts from the driver the option of whether to accept the dispatch request. If the dispatch request is accepted, the taxi terminal device 21 notifies the dispatch app server device 11 of this, and the dispatch app server device 11 further notifies the user terminal device 31 of this. This completes a dispatch reservation between user 3 and taxi 2, and taxi 2 heads to user 3's desired boarding point, picks up user 3, and then heads to the destination.

For example, if taxi 2 breaks down or has an accident while en route to user 3's desired pickup location and is unable to proceed to the desired pickup location, the driver of taxi 2 can cancel the dispatch of the taxi using taxi terminal device 21. Upon receiving the cancellation request, taxi terminal device 21 notifies the taxi dispatch app server device 11 of the cancellation, and the taxi dispatch app server device 11 notifies the user terminal device 31 of the cancellation. Thereafter, taxi dispatch app server device 11 may attempt to dispatch another taxi 2.

The fare meter 22 of the taxi terminal system 20 is located, for example, on the instrument panel of the taxi 2 or nearby, in a position visible to the user 3 sitting in the back seat of the taxi 2. The fare meter 22 is a device that displays the fare to be paid by the user using the taxi 2; when using a normal taxi 2, the fare is added based on the distance traveled, travel time, etc. In this embodiment, when the advance fare has been determined as described above, the fare meter 22 displays the advance fare, and the displayed advance fare does not increase or decrease.

After the taxi 2 arrives at the destination, the user 3 pays the confirmed advance fare. In this embodiment, the advance fare can be paid using a credit card pre-registered with the taxi information processing system, or by payment using a QR (Quick Response) code (registered trademark) or barcode. However, cash payment or payment by electronic money may also be used. During the payment process, the passenger terminal device 23 of the taxi terminal system 20 displays the amount of the advance fare displayed on the fare meter 22 as the payment amount to be paid by the user 3, along with information such as the user's name and credit card details. The passenger terminal device 23 is installed, for example, behind the driver's seat of the taxi 2 and displays various information, such as payment information and advertising information, to the user sitting in the back seat. A tablet-type terminal device or the like is used. When the passenger terminal device 23 receives an operation from the user 3 approving payment of the displayed payment fare, it notifies the payment server device 14 of this via the taxi terminal device 21, the taxi dispatch app server device 11, etc. The payment server device 14 is a device managed and operated by a payment company, and processes the payment of user 3's taxi fare in response to a payment notification from the ride-hailing app server device 11.

In the taxi information processing system according to this embodiment, the advance fare determined by the taxi-dispatch application server device 11 will not change when the taxi 2 is subsequently used. However, discounts that cannot be applied unless a certificate or other document is presented to the taxi 2 driver, such as a disability discount, cannot be applied to the advance fare. Therefore, the discount may be applied to the advance fare during the payment process, resulting in a change to the advance fare. In this case, the driver of the taxi 2 checks the user's certificate and then applies the discount, for example, on the fare meter 22 or taxi terminal device 21. In response to this operation, the payment fare with the discount applied to the advance fare is displayed on the passenger terminal device 23, and payment is made at the discounted payment fare.

In addition, in this embodiment, the advance fee does not include, for example, tolls for toll roads traveled by taxi 2 or fees for parking lots used by taxi 2. If such additional fees are incurred, the advance fee may be changed. In this case, the driver of taxi 2 operates, for example, taxi terminal device 21 to input the additional fee. In response to this operation, the passenger terminal device 23 displays the payment fee, which is the advance fee plus the additional fee, and payment is made using this payment fee.

Furthermore, if User 3 boards Taxi 2 and requests to change the destination after Taxi 2 has started traveling, the taxi information processing system according to this embodiment performs a prepayment process at that time, regardless of the actual distance and time traveled by Taxi 2. User 3 can then use Taxi 2 to a different destination using the normal fare system, in which a fare is added according to the distance and time traveled, or they can use Taxi 2 after determining a new prepayment fare.

In addition, in the taxi information processing system according to this embodiment, the dispatch application server device 11 stores and accumulates information about the taxi 2 in a dispatch history DB (database). The dispatch application server device 11 associates the driving route determined by the user 3 before boarding the taxi 2 and the confirmed advance fare with information such as a user ID that identifies the user 3, a taxi ID that identifies the taxi 2, and date and time in the dispatch history DB. The taxi terminal device 21 also has a receiver that receives GPS signals and can acquire the actual driving route of the taxi 2 based on the GPS signal. The dispatch application server device 11 acquires the actual driving route of the taxi 2 from the taxi terminal device 21 and stores it in the dispatch history DB together with the previously determined driving route. This information stored in the dispatch history DB can be used, for example, to respond to subsequent complaints, improve the driving route determination process, or improve the autonomous driving process.

<Device configuration>
2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the vehicle-dispatch application server device 11 according to the present embodiment. The vehicle-dispatch application server device 11 according to the present embodiment is configured to include a processing unit 111, a memory unit (storage) 112, a communication unit (transceiver) 113, a display unit (display) 114, and an operation unit 115. The processing unit 111 is configured using an arithmetic processing device such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), an MPU (Micro-Processing Unit) or a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), and a RAM (Random Access Memory). The processing unit 111 reads and executes a server program 112a stored in the memory unit 112 to perform various processes, such as determining a taxi route and calculating a taxi advance fare.

The memory unit 112 is configured using a large-capacity storage device such as a hard disk. The memory unit 112 stores various programs executed by the processing unit 111 and various data required for the processing of the processing unit 111. In this embodiment, the memory unit 112 stores the server program 112a executed by the processing unit 111, and is also provided with multiple databases that store various information. The databases provided in the memory unit 112 include, for example, a fare calculation DB 112b for calculating advance taxi fares, a user DB 112c for storing information about users using the system, a taxi DB 112d for storing information about taxis to be dispatched by the system, an order management DB 112e for managing taxi dispatch orders from users, and a dispatch history DB 112 that stores information related to taxi operations.

In this embodiment, the server program 112a is provided in a form recorded on a recording medium 99 such as a memory card or optical disc, and the ride-dispatch application server device 11 reads the server program 112a from the recording medium 99 and stores it in the memory unit 112. However, the server program 112a may also be written to the memory unit 112, for example, during the manufacturing stage of the ride-dispatch application server device 11. Alternatively, the ride-dispatch application server device 11 may acquire the server program 112a via communication after it has been distributed by another remote server device or the like. For example, the server program 112a may be read from the recording medium 99 by a writing device and written to the memory unit 112 of the ride-dispatch application server device 11. The server program 112a may be provided in a form distributed via a network, or in a form recorded on the recording medium 99.

Figure 3 is a schematic diagram showing an example configuration of the fare calculation DB 112b. The fare calculation DB 112b in this embodiment is a table that stores information such as "company ID," "area," "initial fare," "initial distance," "additional unit," "additional fare," and "coefficient" in association with each other. In this embodiment, the ride-hailing app server device 11 calculates the advance fare for a taxi using the following formula (1), and the values to be substituted into this formula (1) are pre-stored in the fare calculation DB 112b. If the user uses a discount coupon or the like, the final advance fare is determined by applying a discount to the advance fare calculated using formula (1). The advance fare calculation formula and the values stored in the fare calculation DB 112b are merely examples and are not limited to these.

Advance fare = {Base fare + (Distance traveled - Base fare) / Additional unit × Additional fare} × Coefficient ... (1)

The "company ID" in fare calculation DB 112b is identification information that identifies the taxi operating company; in the illustrated example, IDs such as "Company A" and "Company B" are stored. "Area" is information that indicates the area covered by each operating company; in the illustrated example, areas such as "Prefecture A" and "Prefecture B" are stored. In the taxi information processing system according to this embodiment, taxis operated by multiple operating companies are dispatched, and the area covered by each operating company is predetermined. There may be multiple operating companies whose areas of responsibility overlap in part or in whole. In the illustrated example, the area covered is defined by prefecture, but it may also be by city, ward, town, or village, for example, or the area may be identified by combining multiple coordinates such as latitude and longitude.

The "initial fare" is the minimum fare paid by a user using a taxi, and in the illustrated example, fares such as "400 yen" and "500 yen" are stored. The "initial distance" is the distance the taxi will travel for the "initial fare," and in the illustrated example, distances such as "1500m" and "1800m" are stored. The "additional unit" is the distance to which the fare will be added after the taxi has traveled the "initial distance," and in the illustrated example, distances such as "200m" and "180m" are stored. The "additional fare" is the fare added for each "additional unit" traveled, and in the illustrated example, distances such as "100 yen" and "85 yen" are stored.

The "coefficient" is a value used to make final adjustments to the advance fare. In this embodiment, the "coefficient" is predetermined for each day of the week and time period, such as "Monday midnight," "Monday 1:00," "Monday 2:00," ..., "Monday 11:00 PM," "Tuesday midnight," ..., "Sunday 11:00 PM," and values such as "1.2," "1.1," "1.5," and "1.4" are stored in the fare calculation DB 112b. The "initial fare," "initial distance," "additional unit," "additional fare," and "coefficient" in the fare calculation DB 112b are information that defines formula (1), which is the formula for calculating the advance fare.

The fare calculation DB 112b is created in advance and stored in the memory unit 112 of the ride-hailing app server device 11. Information in the fare calculation DB 112b may be amended or added at appropriate times, for example, when a new operating company enters the market or when fares are revised.

Figure 4 is a schematic diagram showing an example configuration of user DB 112c. User DB 112c in this embodiment is a database in which information such as "user ID," "user name," "telephone number," "email address," "payment information," and "owned coupons" are stored in association with each other. Note that much of the information stored in user DB 112c is information registered by the user, for example, when starting to use the system, such as when installing a taxi dispatch application program (app) on the user terminal device 31. User DB 112c is modified or added to by the taxi dispatch app server device 11, for example, when a user registers a new user or modifies registered information.

The "user ID" in user DB 112c is identification information uniquely assigned to each user, and in the illustrated example, IDs such as "User 001," "User 002," and "User 003" are stored. The "user ID" may be determined by the user themselves, or may be determined automatically by, for example, the ride-hailing app server device 11. The "user name," "telephone number," and "email address" are personal information of each user, and are abbreviated as "..." in this diagram.

User DB 112c in this embodiment allows multiple pieces of "payment information" to be registered for a single user, which are shown in the figure as "Payment Information 1," "Payment Information 2," "...." "Payment information" is information about the payment method used by the user to pay for a taxi fare, and in the example shown, information such as "credit card" and "electronic money" is stored. Note that "credit card" and "electronic money" are abbreviated terms, and in reality, information necessary for payment processing, such as the credit card number and expiration date, is stored.

In addition, in this embodiment, one user can own multiple coupons. User DB 112c can store information on multiple "owned coupons" for one user, which are shown in the figure as "owned coupon 1," "owned coupon 2," "...." "Owned coupons" are information about coupons owned by the user, and in the example shown, information such as "10% discount," "100 yen discount," and "none" is stored. Note that the configuration of user DB 112c and the information stored therein shown in Figure 4 are merely examples and are not limiting.

Figure 5 is a schematic diagram showing an example configuration of the taxi DB 112d. The taxi DB 112d according to this embodiment is a database in which information such as "taxi ID," "company ID," "driver," "current location," and "tariff status" are stored in association with each other. "Taxi ID" is identification information uniquely assigned to each taxi. In the illustrated example, information such as "Taxi A01," "Taxi A02," and "Taxi B01" is stored as taxi IDs assigned to managed taxis. "Company ID" is identification information identifying the taxi operating company. In the illustrated example, IDs such as "Company A" and "Company B" are stored. "Driver" is information about the taxi driver, and may include information such as the driver's name and telephone number. Information such as "Taxi ID," "Company ID," and "Driver" is modified or added as appropriate, for example, depending on the addition or reduction of taxis.

The "current location" in the taxi DB 112d is information about the taxi's current location based on GPS, and although it is abbreviated as "..." in the diagram, coordinate information such as latitude and longitude is actually stored. The "tariff status" is information indicating the taxi's status, and information such as "empty," "for hire," and "pick-up" is stored. The taxi-dispatch app server device 11 periodically communicates with the taxi terminal device 21 of the taxi 2, obtains information about the taxi 2's current location and status, and stores it in the taxi DB 112d.

Figure 6 is a schematic diagram showing an example configuration of the order management DB 112e. The order management DB 112e is a database that stores information regarding taxi dispatch orders received by the taxi dispatch application server device 11 from the user terminal device 31. The order management DB 112e in this embodiment is a database that stores information such as "date and time," "user ID," "taxi ID," "pre-travel route," "pre-fare," "boarding reservation time," "boarding reservation location," "drop-off reservation location," and "reservation number" in association with each other.

The "date and time" in the order management DB 112e is the date and time when the user ordered a taxi; in the illustrated example, information such as "2020/1/20 11:12" and "2020/1/20 11:26" is stored. The "user ID" is the ID of the user who used the taxi; in the illustrated example, information such as "user 123" and "user 054" is stored. The "taxi ID" is identification information uniquely assigned to each taxi; in the illustrated example, information such as "taxi A33" and "taxi D21" is stored as the taxi IDs of the taxis used by the user.

The "pre-travel route" is information about the taxi's travel route determined by the taxi-dispatch application server device 11 based on the desired boarding point and destination point entered by the user. If the taxi-dispatch application server device 11 presents multiple travel route candidates to the user, the "pre-travel route" stores information about one travel route selected by the user. While the travel route information is abbreviated as "..." in this figure, in reality, route information is stored as, for example, multiple coordinate information or vector information connecting the desired boarding point and the destination point. The "pre-fare" is the taxi fare calculated and determined by the taxi-dispatch application server device 11; in the illustrated example, information such as "1,234 yen" and "3,210 yen" is stored. The taxi-dispatch application server device 11 calculates the taxi's travel distance based on the pre-travel route and calculates the pre-fare using the information in the fare calculation DB 112b shown in Figure 3 and the above-mentioned formula (1).

"Reservation time" is information about the date and time the user wishes to board a taxi. In the illustrated example, information such as "2020/1/20 11:20" and "2020/1/20 13:00" is stored. "Reservation location" is the desired boarding point where the user wishes to board a taxi. "Reservation location for drop-off" is the destination point where the user wishes to disembark from the taxi. Note that in this illustration, the information for "Reservation location for boarding" and "Reservation location for drop-off" is abbreviated as "...", but in reality, coordinate information indicating the location, such as latitude and longitude information, is stored.

A "reservation number" is identification information uniquely assigned to a user's taxi dispatch request. For example, when the taxi dispatch app server device 11 receives a taxi dispatch request from a user and an acceptance of the request from the taxi, it generates a "reservation number" and stores it in the order management DB 112e. In the illustrated example, identification information such as "reservation 134" and "reservation 135" is stored as the "reservation number."

The taxi dispatch application server device 11 adds and modifies information to the order management DB 112e at various times, such as when a user requests a taxi dispatch, when the route is determined in advance, when the fare is confirmed in advance, or when the request is accepted by the taxi.

Although not shown in Figure 6, the order management DB 112e may also store information such as payment method, coupons used, whether or not the advance fee has been canceled, boarding date and time, disembarking date and time, and payment fee.

Figure 7 is a schematic diagram showing an example configuration of the dispatch history DB12. The dispatch history DB12 in this embodiment is a database that stores information such as "reservation number," "date and time," "user ID," "taxi ID," "actual route," "paid fare," "actual boarding time," "actual boarding location," "actual drop-off location," "cancellation status," "payment method," "coupon," and "discount," in association with each other.

The "reservation number" is identification information uniquely assigned to a user's taxi dispatch request. The information stored in the order management DB 112e and the information stored in the dispatch history DB 12 are linked by the "reservation number." The "date and time" is information such as the date and time when the user requested a taxi dispatch; in the illustrated example, information such as "2020/1/20 11:12" and "2020/1/20 11:26" is stored. The "user ID" is the ID of the user who used the taxi; in the illustrated example, information such as "user 123" and "user 054" is stored. The "taxi ID" is identification information uniquely assigned to a taxi; in the illustrated example, information such as "taxi A33" and "taxi D21" is stored as the taxi IDs of the taxis used by the user.

The "actual driving route" is information about the actual driving route taken by the taxi carrying the user. In this diagram, the driving route information is abbreviated as "...", but the "actual driving route" can be a collection of coordinate information for the taxi's current location transmitted from the taxi terminal device 21. The "payment fare" is the fare ultimately paid (settles) by the user after using the taxi; in the illustrated example, information such as "1,234 yen" and "3,210 yen" is stored. Note that the "advance fare" and the "payment fare" are generally the same amount; however, for example, if a discount such as a disability discount is applied after the advance fare is determined, or if toll road fees are added, the "advance fare" and the "payment fare" may be different amounts.

The "actual boarding time" is information related to the time the user boarded the taxi. For example, when a user boards a taxi and the driver changes the taxi's status from pickup to hire using the taxi terminal device 21 or fare meter 22, the taxi terminal device 21 notifies the taxi dispatch app server device 11 of the boarding time. In response to this notification, the taxi dispatch app server device 11 can store the information in the "actual boarding time" field in the taxi dispatch history DB 12. The "actual boarding location" is the location where the user actually boarded the taxi. The "actual drop-off location" is the location where the user actually disembarked from the taxi. The taxi dispatch app server device 11 stores the "actual boarding location" and "actual drop-off location" information in the taxi dispatch history DB 12 based on the taxi status information and location information, etc., obtained from the taxi terminal device 21. In this diagram, the "actual boarding location" and "actual drop-off location" information are abbreviated as "...", but in reality, coordinate information indicating a location, such as latitude and longitude, is stored. Furthermore, if information on the "actual boarding location" and "actual drop-off location" can be obtained from the above-mentioned "actual driving route," the dispatch history DB12 does not need to include the items "actual boarding location" and "actual drop-off location."

"Cancellation" is information indicating whether the user has canceled the previously determined "Advance Toll" and "Preliminary Driving Route." In the example shown, the information "No" is stored, indicating that no cancellation has been made. For example, if the user changes their destination, the "Advance Toll" and "Preliminary Driving Route" are canceled, and the information "Yes" is stored in "Cancellation"

"Payment Method" is information about the method used by the user to pay the fare. In the illustrated example, "Credit" information is stored, indicating that the user paid by credit card. "Coupon" is information about the content of the coupon used by the user to pay the fare. In the illustrated example, "100 Yen Discount" information, which deducts 100 yen from the fare, and "None" information, indicating that no coupon was used, are stored. Note that in this embodiment, discounts provided by coupons are reflected in the "Advance Fare." "Discount" is information about discounts that are applied after the user boards a taxi, such as a discount for people with disabilities. If a discount is applied, "Yes" information is stored, and if a discount is not applied, "None" information is stored.

The taxi dispatch application server device 11 adds and modifies information to the taxi dispatch history DB 12 at various times, such as when a user requests a taxi, when the user gets in the taxi, when the taxi arrives at the destination, or when the fare is paid.

The communication unit 113 of the ride-hailing app server device 11 communicates with various devices via a network N, which may include an in-house LAN (Local Area Network), a wireless LAN, or the Internet. In this embodiment, the communication unit 113 communicates with the information processing device 13, the payment server device 14, the taxi terminal device 21, the user terminal device 31, and the like, via the network N. The communication unit 113 transmits data provided by the processing unit 111 to other devices, and provides data received from other devices to the processing unit 111.

The display unit 114 is configured using a liquid crystal display or the like, and displays various images, characters, etc. based on processing by the processing unit 111. The operation unit 115 accepts user operations and notifies the processing unit 111 of the accepted operations. For example, the operation unit 115 is an input device such as a mouse or keyboard, and these input devices may be configured to be detachable from the ride-hailing app server device 11. Furthermore, for example, the operation unit 115 may accept user operations via an input device such as a touch panel provided on the surface of the display unit 114.

The storage unit 112 may be an external storage device connected to the ride-dispatch app server device 11. The ride-dispatch app server device 11 may also be a multi-computer configured to include multiple computers, or may be a virtual machine virtually constructed using software. The ride-dispatch app server device 11 may not have a user interface such as the display unit 114 and operation unit 115. In this case, the ride-dispatch app server device 11 may be configured so that an administrator or the like operates the ride-dispatch app server device 11 via a separate terminal device, for example.

In addition, the processing unit 111 of the vehicle dispatch app server device 11 in this embodiment reads and executes the server program 112a stored in the memory unit 112, thereby realizing software functional units such as a route processing unit 111a, an order processing unit 111b, an advance fee processing unit 111c, a vehicle dispatch processing unit 111d, a payment processing unit 111e, a vehicle dispatch history processing unit 111f, and a display processing unit 111g.

The route processing unit 111a performs processing to determine the driving route that the taxi should take based on the desired boarding point and destination point entered by the user. The method for determining the driving route can be similar to the method for determining driving routes used by existing car navigation systems, so a detailed explanation will be omitted. The route processing unit 111a creates multiple candidate driving routes from the desired boarding point to the destination point, transmits the multiple candidates to the user terminal device 31, and accepts the user's selection of a driving route. The route processing unit 111a determines one driving route selected by the user as the preliminary driving route that the taxi should take. However, if it is not possible to create multiple driving routes, the route processing unit 111a may create only one driving route.

The order processing unit 111b receives taxi dispatch orders from users by sending and receiving information to and from the user terminal device 31. The order processing unit 111b acquires information such as the desired boarding point and destination from the user via the user terminal device 31. The order processing unit 111b stores the acquired information in the order management DB 112e of the memory unit 112.

The advance fare processing unit 111c performs processing to calculate the advance fare to be paid by the user for using a taxi based on the taxi route determined by the route processing unit 111a and the information in the fare calculation DB 112b stored in the memory unit 112. The route processing unit 111a presents the user with multiple route candidates, and the advance fare processing unit 111c calculates the advance fare for each candidate and presents the advance fare candidates to the user. When calculating the advance fare, the advance fare processing unit 111c determines the operating company that will dispatch the taxi, for example, based on the user's desired boarding point. The advance fare processing unit 111c obtains information such as the minimum fare and additional fare for the determined operating company from the fare calculation DB 112b and substitutes this obtained information into the above-mentioned formula (1). The advance fare processing unit 111c also calculates the taxi's travel distance based on the route determined by the route processing unit 111a and substitutes the calculated distance into the above-mentioned formula (1). This allows the advance fare processing unit 111c to calculate the advance fare using formula (1). The advance fee processing unit 111c presents the calculated advance fee to the user and finalizes the advance fee when the user approves the fee. Once the advance fee is finalized, the user will no longer be able to change the fee.

After the advance fare processing unit 111c has determined the advance fare, the dispatch processing unit 111d performs processing to dispatch a taxi to the requesting user. The dispatch processing unit 111d references the taxi DB 112d in the memory unit 112, selects, for example, a taxi that is available and whose current location is close to the user's desired boarding point, and requests dispatch from the taxi terminal device 21 of the selected taxi. The taxi terminal device 21 of the selected taxi notifies the driver that the dispatch request has been received and accepts from the driver a selection operation as to whether or not to accept the request. If the driver selects to accept the request, the dispatch processing unit 111d notifies the user terminal device 31 of the user who made the dispatch request that the dispatch request has been accepted. Based on this notification, the user terminal device 31 displays on the display unit 314 that the dispatch request has been accepted. This completes a taxi reservation between the taxi and the user, and the taxi picks up the user at the desired boarding point and transports the user to their destination along the determined driving route. If the dispatch request is not accepted, the dispatch processing unit 111d selects another taxi and requests dispatch. Furthermore, if, for example, no response is received from the taxi driver within a predetermined time after the dispatch request, the dispatch processing unit 111d may request dispatch of another taxi without waiting for a response to the dispatch request.

The dispatch processing unit 111d also performs processing related to cancellation from taxi 2 that has accepted a dispatch request. In the taxi information processing system according to this embodiment, the taxi driver can cancel the acceptance of the dispatch request if, for example, various factors such as an accident or breakdown make it difficult for the taxi driver to reach the desired pickup point specified by the user. When the taxi terminal device 21 receives a cancellation operation from the driver, it notifies the dispatch app server device 11 of the cancellation. Upon receiving the cancellation notification, the dispatch processing unit 111d of the dispatch app server device 11 notifies the user terminal device 31 of the user associated with the canceled dispatch request of the cancellation. Upon receiving the cancellation notification, the user terminal device 31 displays on the display unit 314 that the dispatch request has been canceled. This cancels the reservation that was once made between the user and the taxi. The user may then make a new dispatch request.

The payment processing unit 111e processes the payment of the taxi fare with the user who used the taxi by relaying the exchange of information between the taxi terminal device 21 and the payment server device 14. The payment processing unit 111e obtains the payment fare, payment method, and other information necessary for payment from the taxi terminal device 21, and requests the payment server device 14, which is managed and operated by a payment company, to perform the payment processing. In response to this request, the payment server device 14 processes the payment of the taxi fare for this user and notifies the taxi-dispatch app server device 11 of the completion of the payment processing. When the payment processing unit 111e is notified of the completion of the payment processing by the payment server device 14, it sends this notification to the taxi terminal device 21.

The dispatch history processing unit 111f performs processing to store information obtained during the series of steps related to a user's use of a taxi in the order management DB 112e or the dispatch history DB 12 of the memory unit 112. For example, when a user operates the user terminal device 31 to approve a driving route and advance fare, the dispatch history processing unit 111f stores information such as the date and time information and user ID at that time in the order management DB 112e or the dispatch history DB 12. Furthermore, for example, when a taxi driver operates the taxi terminal device 21 to accept a dispatch request, the dispatch history processing unit 111f stores the taxi ID of the taxi in the order management DB 112e or the dispatch history DB 12. Furthermore, the dispatch history processing unit 111f periodically acquires location information from a taxi carrying a passenger, and stores the acquired location information as the actual driving route. Furthermore, the dispatch history processing unit 111f stores the payment fare, for example, when the taxi arrives at the destination and payment is completed. Note that the timing at which information is stored by the dispatch history processing unit 111f and the content of the information stored are merely examples and are not limiting.

The display processing unit 111g performs processing to display various information stored in the order management DB 112e and the dispatch history DB 12 on the display unit 114. The display processing unit 111g accepts specifications such as date and time and a taxi ID via the operation unit 115, and reads information corresponding to the specified date and time and taxi ID from the order management DB 112e and the dispatch history DB 12. Based on the read information, the display processing unit 111g can display a map image on the display unit 314, for example, and display the preliminary driving route and the actual driving route superimposed on this map image. The display processing unit 111g may also display the advance fee and payment fee along with these driving routes. The information stored in the order management DB 112e and the dispatch history DB 12 may be displayed in any manner. In this embodiment, the dispatch app server device 11 displays information stored in the dispatch history DB 12 on its own display unit 314, but this is not limited to this, and information may also be displayed on the display unit of another device via communication via a network.

Figure 8 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a user terminal device 31 according to this embodiment. The user terminal device 31 according to this embodiment is a portable information processing device such as a smartphone or tablet terminal device. The user terminal device 31 is configured with a processing unit 311, a memory unit (storage) 312, a communication unit (transceiver) 313, a display unit (display) 314, an operation unit 315, a GPS receiving unit 316, etc. The processing unit 311 is configured using an arithmetic processing device such as a CPU or MPU, a ROM, a RAM, etc. The processing unit 311 reads and executes a program 312a stored in the memory unit 312 to perform various processes related to taxi dispatch requests, etc.

The storage unit 312 is configured using a non-volatile memory element such as a flash memory. The storage unit 312 stores various programs executed by the processing unit 311 and various data required for the processing of the processing unit 311. In this embodiment, the storage unit 312 stores the program 312a executed by the processing unit 311 and a user ID 312b assigned to the user who owns the user terminal device 31.

Program 312a in this embodiment is an application program (app) for using a taxi. In this embodiment, program 312a is distributed by a remote server device or the like, and user terminal device 31 acquires it via communication and stores it in memory unit 312. However, program 312a may also be written to memory unit 312, for example, during the manufacturing stage of user terminal device 31. For example, program 312a may be recorded on a recording medium such as a memory card or optical disc, and read by user terminal device 31 and stored in memory unit 312. For example, program 312a may be read by a writing device from a recording medium and written to memory unit 312 of user terminal device 31. Program 312a may be provided in the form of distribution via a network, or in the form of being recorded on a recording medium.

User ID 312b is an identifier that uniquely identifies the user who owns user terminal device 31. It is determined, for example, when the user downloads program 312a to user terminal device 31 or when the user uses downloaded program 312a for the first time, and is stored in storage unit 312. User ID 312b may be, for example, an ID dedicated to the taxi information processing system according to this embodiment, or may be a general-purpose ID such as the user's email address.

The communication unit 313 communicates with various devices via a network N, which includes a public mobile phone communication network and the Internet. In this embodiment, the communication unit 313 communicates with the ride-dispatch app server device 11 via the network N. The communication unit 313 transmits data provided by the processing unit 311 to the ride-dispatch app server device 11, and provides data received from the ride-dispatch app server device 11 to the processing unit 311.

The display unit 314 is configured using a liquid crystal display or the like, and displays various images, text, etc. based on processing by the processing unit 311. The operation unit 315 accepts user operations via an input device, such as a mechanical button or a touch panel provided on the surface of the display unit 314, and notifies the processing unit 311 of the accepted operation. The GPS receiving unit 316 receives radio waves transmitted from GPS satellites and provides the processing unit 311 with information contained in the received radio waves. The processing unit 311 can perform processing to identify the position (e.g., latitude and longitude) of the user terminal device 31 based on the information provided by the GPS receiving unit 316.

In addition, in the user terminal device 31 according to this embodiment, the processing unit 311 reads and executes the program 312a stored in the memory unit 312, thereby realizing the display processing unit 311a, dispatch request unit 311b, approval acceptance unit 311c, and the like as software functional units in the processing unit 311. The display processing unit 311a performs processing to display various screens related to taxi dispatch on the display unit 314. For example, the display processing unit 311a displays various screens such as a menu screen, a screen for inputting the desired boarding point and destination, a screen presenting information about the taxi's route and advance fare, and a screen indicating completion of the taxi dispatch request. Image data and the like for displaying these screens are stored in the memory unit 312 along with the program 312a.

The dispatch request unit 311b processes requests for dispatching a taxi. The dispatch request unit 311b accepts the user's desired boarding point and destination via an input screen displayed by the display processing unit 311a. The dispatch request unit 311b transmits a taxi dispatch request to the dispatch app server device 11, including the accepted information on the desired boarding point and destination, and the user ID 312b stored in the memory unit 312. The desired boarding point may be, for example, the current location based on a GPS signal received by the GPS receiving unit 316, or may be a specific location or facility designated by the user. The dispatch app server device 11 determines the taxi's route and calculates the advance fare based on the desired boarding point and destination provided along with the dispatch request.

The approval receiving unit 311c performs a process to receive user approval for the taxi route and advance fare determined in response to a taxi dispatch request. Information regarding the taxi route and advance fare determined by the taxi dispatch app server device 11 in response to a taxi dispatch request is received by the user terminal device 31 and displayed on the display unit 314 by the display processing unit 311a. The approval receiving unit 311c receives the user's approval for the displayed taxi route and advance fare via the operation unit 315 and notifies the taxi dispatch app server device 11 of the approval. If the taxi dispatch app server device 11 has created multiple candidate routes and advance fare options, the display unit 314 displays the multiple options, and the approval receiving unit 311c accepts the selection of one route and advance fare from the multiple options and notifies the taxi dispatch app server device 11 that the selected route and advance fare have been approved. If the user operates not to approve the route and advance fare, the approval receiving unit 311c notifies the taxi dispatch app server device 11 of the cancellation of the taxi dispatch request. If the user does not approve the route and fare in advance, the system may be configured to allow a taxi dispatch request to be made using normal fare calculations (fares calculated based on distance traveled using a taxi meter).

Figure 9 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the payment server device 14 according to this embodiment. The payment server device 14 according to this embodiment is configured to include a processing unit 141, a memory unit (storage) 142, a communication unit (transceiver) 143, and the like. The processing unit 141 is configured using an arithmetic processing device such as a CPU, MPU, or GPU, a ROM, and the like. The processing unit 141 reads and executes the server program 142a stored in the memory unit 142, thereby performing various processes related to the user's payment processing of the taxi fare.

The memory unit 142 is configured using a large-capacity storage device such as a hard disk. The memory unit 142 stores various programs executed by the processing unit 141 and various data required for the processing of the processing unit 141. In this embodiment, the memory unit 142 stores a server program 142a executed by the processing unit 141. The memory unit 142 also includes a payment DB 142b that stores information required for payment processing.

In this embodiment, the server program 142a is provided in a form recorded on a recording medium 98 such as a memory card or optical disc, and the payment server device 14 reads the server program 142a from the recording medium 98 and stores it in the memory unit 142. However, the server program 142a may also be written to the memory unit 142, for example, during the manufacturing stage of the payment server device 14. Alternatively, the server program 142a may be distributed by another remote server device or the like and acquired by the payment server device 14 via communication. For example, the server program 142a may be read from the recording medium 98 by a writing device and written to the memory unit 142 of the payment server device 14. The server program 142a may be provided in a form distributed via a network, or in a form recorded on the recording medium 98.

Figure 10 is a schematic diagram showing an example configuration of payment DB 142b. Payment DB 142b in this embodiment is a database in which information such as "credit card ID," "expiration date," "balance," and "limit" are stored in association with each other. "Credit card ID" is identification information assigned to a credit card and may be the so-called card number. "Expiration date" is information about the period during which the credit card can be used. "Balance" and "limit" are information about credit card usage restrictions; for example, a "limit" is set at 300,000 yen per month, and the "balance" is the value obtained by subtracting the amount already used from this limit.

The communication unit 143 of the payment server device 14 communicates with various devices via a network N, which may include an in-house LAN, a wireless LAN, the Internet, or the like. In this embodiment, the communication unit 143 communicates with the vehicle dispatch app server device 11, etc., via the network N. The communication unit 143 transmits data provided by the processing unit 141 to other devices, and provides data received from other devices to the processing unit 141.

The storage unit 142 may be an external storage device connected to the payment server device 14. The payment server device 14 may also be a multi-computer consisting of multiple computers, or may be a virtual machine virtually constructed using software. The payment server device 14 is not limited to the above configuration, and may also include, for example, a reading unit that reads information stored on a portable storage medium, an operation unit that accepts operation input, or a display unit that displays images.

In addition, in the processing unit 141 of the payment server device 14 according to this embodiment, the processing unit 141 reads and executes the server program 142a stored in the memory unit 142, thereby realizing the confirmation processing unit 141a, payment processing unit 141b, and the like as software functional units. In response to a payment request from the ride-hailing app server device 11, the confirmation processing unit 141a performs a process of confirming information necessary for the user who used a taxi to pay the fare. For example, the confirmation processing unit 141a acquires information such as a credit card ID and payment fee provided together with the payment request from the ride-hailing app server device 11, and refers to the payment DB 142b in the memory unit 142 to confirm the accuracy of the acquired information and whether payment is possible. If the confirmation processing unit 141a determines that payment is possible, the payment processing unit 141b performs a process of paying the user's taxi fare with a registered credit card.

Figure 11 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a taxi terminal device 21 according to this embodiment. The taxi terminal device 21 according to this embodiment may be, for example, a device fixed near the driver's seat of a taxi 2, or may be a device that the driver can carry, such as a smartphone or tablet terminal device. The taxi terminal device 21 is configured with a processing unit 211, a memory unit (storage) 212, a communication unit (transceiver) 213, a display unit (display) 214, an operation unit 215, a GPS receiving unit 216, etc. The processing unit 211 is configured using an arithmetic processing device such as a CPU or MPU, ROM, RAM, etc. The processing unit 211 reads and executes a program 212a stored in the memory unit 212 to perform various processes related to accepting a vehicle dispatch request from a user and canceling an accepted vehicle dispatch request, etc.

The memory unit 212 is configured using a non-volatile memory element such as a flash memory. The memory unit 212 stores various programs executed by the processing unit 211 and various data required for the processing of the processing unit 211. In this embodiment, the memory unit 212 stores a program 212a executed by the processing unit 211 and a taxi ID 212b assigned to the taxi 2.

In this embodiment, program 212a is distributed by a remote server device or the like, and is acquired by taxi terminal device 21 via communication and stored in memory unit 212. However, program 212a may also be written to memory unit 212, for example, during the manufacturing stage of taxi terminal device 21. For example, program 212a may be recorded on a recording medium such as a memory card or optical disc, and read by taxi terminal device 21 and stored in memory unit 212. For example, program 212a may be read by a writing device from a recording medium and written to memory unit 212 of taxi terminal device 21. Program 212a may be provided in the form of distribution via a network, or in the form of being recorded on a recording medium.

The taxi ID 212b is an identifier that uniquely identifies the taxi 2, and is determined in advance by the operating company that manages the taxi 2, etc., and stored in the memory unit 212. In this embodiment, the identifier assigned to the taxi 2 is used as the taxi ID 212b. However, for example, the identifier assigned to the driver of the taxi 2 may also be used as the taxi ID 212b.

The communication unit 213 communicates with various devices via a network N, which includes a public mobile phone communication network and the Internet. In this embodiment, the communication unit 213 communicates with an externally provided ride-hailing app server device 11, and also with the fare meter 22 and passenger terminal device 23 provided in the taxi 2. Note that the communication unit 213 may use different communication protocols for communication with the ride-hailing app server device 11 and for communication with the fare meter 22 and passenger terminal device 23. For example, the communication unit 213 communicates with the ride-hailing app server device 11 via a public mobile phone communication network. Furthermore, for example, the communication unit 213 communicates with the fare meter 22 and passenger terminal device 23 via wired communication via a communication line provided within the taxi 2, or wireless communication such as Bluetooth (registered trademark).

The display unit 214 is configured using a liquid crystal display or the like, and displays various images, text, etc. based on processing by the processing unit 211. The operation unit 215 accepts driver operations via an input device, such as mechanical buttons or a touch panel provided on the surface of the display unit 214, and notifies the processing unit 211 of the accepted operations. The GPS receiving unit 216 receives radio waves transmitted from GPS satellites and provides information contained in the received radio waves to the processing unit 211. The processing unit 211 can perform processing to identify the position (e.g., latitude and longitude) of the taxi terminal device 21 based on the information provided by the GPS receiving unit 216. The communication unit 213 also relays communications between the taxi dispatch app server device 11 and the fare meter 22 and passenger terminal device 23.

In addition, in the taxi terminal device 21 according to this embodiment, the processing unit 211 reads and executes the program 212a stored in the memory unit 212, thereby realizing the display processing unit 211a, acceptance receiving unit 211b, cancellation receiving unit 211c, and other software functional units in the processing unit 211. The display processing unit 211a performs processing to display various screens related to taxi 2 dispatch requests on the display unit 214. For example, the display processing unit 211a displays various screens, such as a menu screen, a screen presenting information on the route and advance fee related to the dispatch request from the user, and a screen for accepting operations such as accepting or canceling the dispatch request. Image data and the like for displaying these screens are stored in the memory unit 212 along with the program 212a.

The display processing unit 211a also communicates with the fare meter 22 and passenger terminal device 23 provided in the taxi 2 via the communication unit 213, causing the fare meter 22 and passenger terminal device 23 to display various information. The display processing unit 211a performs processing to display the advance fare on the fare meter 22, for example, by sending information about the confirmed advance fare to the fare meter 22. The display processing unit 211a also performs processing to display the advance fare on the passenger terminal device 23, for example, by sending information about the payment fare to the passenger terminal device 23 after the taxi 2 has arrived at the destination.

The acceptance reception unit 211b performs processing to accept operations related to accepting a vehicle dispatch request from a user. Upon receiving a vehicle dispatch request from a user from the vehicle dispatch app server device 11, the display processing unit 211a of the taxi terminal device 21 displays detailed information about the vehicle dispatch request, i.e., information such as the user's desired boarding point and destination, the determined driving route, and the confirmed advance fare, on the display unit 214. While this information is being displayed, the acceptance reception unit 211b accepts from the driver via the operation unit 215 a selection of whether or not to accept the vehicle dispatch request. The acceptance reception unit 211b notifies the vehicle dispatch app server device 11 of the selection result of whether or not to accept the vehicle dispatch request.

The cancellation reception unit 211c performs processing to accept a cancellation operation for an accepted vehicle dispatch request. After the acceptance reception unit 211b accepts the vehicle dispatch request, the display processing unit 211a displays information such as the user's desired boarding point on the display unit 214, and urges the driver to direct the taxi 2 to the desired boarding point. In this state, the cancellation reception unit 211c accepts a cancellation operation for the vehicle dispatch request. When a cancellation operation is accepted, the cancellation reception unit 211c notifies the vehicle dispatch app server device 11 that the vehicle dispatch request has been canceled.

Figure 12 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the fare meter 22 and passenger terminal device 23 according to this embodiment. The fare meter 22 according to this embodiment is a device mounted, for example, near the driver's seat of the taxi 2, and displays the fare for using the taxi 2. The fare meter 22 is configured with a processing unit 221, a communication unit (transceiver) 222, a display unit (display) 223, an operation unit 224, etc.

The processing unit 221 is composed of an arithmetic processing unit such as a CPU or MPU, ROM, RAM, etc. The processing unit 221 performs various processes related to the display of fares and the acceptance of operations by the driver. Although not shown in the figure, the fare meter 22 is connected to sensors mounted on the taxi 2, and is able to perform processes to calculate the fare of the taxi 2 based on the distance traveled measured by the sensors, etc.

The communication unit 222 communicates with the taxi terminal device 21 and the passenger terminal device 23 via wired communication via a communication line installed within the taxi 2, or wireless communication such as Bluetooth. The display unit 223 is configured using an LCD panel or the like, and displays various images, text, etc. based on processing by the processing unit 221. The operation unit 224 accepts operations from the driver using an input device such as a mechanical button, and notifies the processing unit 221 of the accepted operations.

In this embodiment, in the case of normal operation where a fare is not determined in advance, the fare meter 22 displays on the display unit 223 the fare that is added according to the distance traveled, time, etc. When a fare has been determined in advance, the fare meter 22 does not display the fare that is added according to the distance traveled, time, etc., but displays the previously determined advance fare on the display unit 223. When displaying the advance fare, the fare meter 22 can determine whether a fare has been determined in advance and the determined advance fare by exchanging information with the taxi terminal device 21, for example, via the communication unit 222. When displaying the advance fare, the fare meter 22 may or may not calculate the fare according to the distance traveled, time, etc.

The operation unit 224 is equipped with, for example, a switch that accepts an operation to switch between displaying the advance fare and the regular fare, a button for starting the payment process after arriving at the destination, and a button for applying discounts such as a discount for disabled persons. In response to an operation to start the payment process, the payment fare is displayed on the passenger terminal device 23, and in response to an operation of the discount button, the discount is applied and the payment fare displayed on the passenger terminal device 23 is updated.

The passenger terminal device 23 in this embodiment is a terminal device mounted in a location visible to a user sitting in the back seat of the taxi 2. The passenger terminal device 23 may be a device fixed to the taxi 2, or may be a portable device such as a tablet terminal device. In this embodiment, the passenger terminal device 23 is provided behind the driver's seat of the taxi 2. The passenger terminal device 23 is configured to include a processing unit (processor) 231, a communication unit (transceiver) 232, a display unit (display) 233, and an operation unit 234.

The processing unit 231 is composed of an arithmetic processing unit such as a CPU or MPU, ROM, RAM, etc. The processing unit 231 performs various processes, such as displaying the fare to the user who used the taxi, accepting operations necessary to pay this fare, and carrying out payment processing in accordance with the accepted operations.

The communication unit 232 communicates with the taxi terminal device 21 and fare meter 22 via wired communication via a communication line installed inside the taxi 2, or via wireless communication such as Bluetooth. The display unit 233 is configured using an LCD panel or the like, and displays various images, text, etc. based on processing by the processing unit 231. The operation unit 234 accepts user operations via an input device such as a touch panel provided on the surface of the display unit 233, and notifies the processing unit 231 of the accepted operations.

Furthermore, after the user boards the taxi 2, the passenger terminal device 23 may display images such as advertisements on the display unit 233 while the taxi 2 arrives at the destination. After the taxi 2 arrives at the destination, the passenger terminal device 23 displays the payment fare based on the payment fare information provided by the taxi terminal device 21 or the fare meter 22. The payment fare displayed by the passenger terminal device 23 is either a pre-determined advance fare or a fare calculated based on the distance traveled, time, etc. If a discount such as a disability discount is applied to these fares, the display is updated to show the discounted payment fare. After displaying the payment fare, the passenger terminal device 23 accepts an approval operation for the payment process from the user. If an approval operation is accepted, the passenger terminal device 23 transmits a notification to that effect to the taxi-dispatch app server device 11 via the taxi terminal device 21.

When the taxi 2 arrives at the destination and the payment fare is displayed on the passenger terminal device 23, and the payment fare is approved by the user, the payment server device 14 performs the payment process. Having approved the payment, the passenger terminal device 23 notifies the taxi-dispatch app server device 11 of this via the taxi terminal device 21. The taxi-dispatch app server device 11 transmits the user ID of the user performing the payment process and the information stored in the "payment information" field in the user DB 112c to the payment server device 14. The payment server device 14 performs the payment process using a credit card, electronic money, etc., based on the information received from the taxi-dispatch app server device 11.

<Taxi fare processing>
13 is a schematic diagram for explaining the process from requesting dispatch to confirming dispatch in the taxi information processing system according to this embodiment. In the taxi information processing system according to this embodiment, a user requesting dispatch must download program 312a to user terminal device 31 and must also complete procedures for using the system in advance (e.g., agreeing to terms of use and registering personal information). In the following description, it is assumed that these procedures have been completed, and detailed explanations of these procedures will be omitted.

A user wishing to use a taxi launches program 312a on their user terminal device 31 and selects a taxi dispatch request option from, for example, a menu screen. The user terminal device 31 displays a screen on the display unit 314 for specifying the desired boarding point and destination point for the taxi, and accepts input of the desired boarding point and destination point from the user. The desired boarding point is initially set to the current location. If the user does not change this, the current location based on the GPS signal received by the GPS receiver unit 316 is accepted as the desired boarding point. The destination point may be input as a search result based on, for example, the name of a place or building, or as an address or postal code, or as a point on a map, or may be input in a manner other than these. If the desired boarding point is specified as something other than the current location, it may be input in the same manner as the destination point. The user terminal device 31 transmits a taxi dispatch request message including the input desired boarding point and destination point, as well as the user's user ID 312b, to the taxi dispatch app server device 11.

The vehicle dispatch application server device 11, which receives a vehicle dispatch request message from the user terminal device 31, determines the taxi company that will dispatch a taxi to the user based on the desired boarding point and destination point included in the vehicle dispatch request message. The vehicle dispatch application server device 11 selects a taxi company that can dispatch a taxi to the desired boarding point by, for example, comparing the desired boarding point included in the vehicle dispatch request message with the "area" information in the fare calculation DB 112b shown in Figure 3.

Next, the taxi dispatch application server device 11 determines the taxi route based on the desired boarding point and destination included in the dispatch request message. The taxi dispatch application server device 11 also calculates the advance fare for using a taxi based on the determined route and the fare calculation DB 112b in the memory unit 112. It is preferable that the taxi dispatch application server device 11 presents multiple route candidates and advance fare options to the user. The taxi dispatch application server device 11 may determine two route candidates, for example, one that uses a toll road and one that does not. In this embodiment, the advance fare does not include the toll road fee, but this is not limited to this, and the toll road fee may also be included in the advance fare. The taxi dispatch application server device 11 also references the user DB 112c in the memory unit 112 based on the user ID included in the dispatch request message. If the user has a discount coupon, etc., it obtains information about the coupon and calculates the advance fare applying the discount from the obtained coupon. The ride-hailing app server device 11 sends a message containing information about the determined route and the calculated advance fare to the user terminal device 31 of the requesting user.

When the user terminal device 31 receives a message from the ride-hailing app server device 11, it displays the information about the driving route and advance fee included in the message on the display unit 314 and accepts an operation to approve the driving route and advance fee from the user. At this time, if there are multiple candidates for the driving route and advance fee, the user terminal device 31 displays information about the multiple candidates, accepts an operation from the user to select one of these candidates, and accepts an operation from the user to approve the driving route and advance fee of the selected candidate.

Figure 14 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a vehicle dispatch request screen displayed by the user terminal device 31. The illustrated vehicle dispatch request screen assumes that the vehicle dispatch app server device 11 has provided the user terminal device 31 with two candidate routes, Route 1 and Route 2, as candidate routes and advance fares. The user terminal device 31 displays a map image on the display unit 314, and also displays the two candidate routes, Route 1 and Route 2, superimposed on the map image. In this figure, the desired boarding point is indicated by "S," the destination point is indicated by "G," Route 1, the first candidate route, is indicated by a solid line, and Route 2, the second candidate route, is indicated by a dashed line.

In the area below the map image on the vehicle dispatch request screen, information about two candidates is displayed on the left and right. In this example, information about "Route 1" is displayed in the left area, and information about "Route 2" is displayed in the right area. The left area displays the text "Route 1," followed below it by the text "Advance Fee 11,200 Yen" indicating the calculated advance fee, and below that is a button labeled "Request a Vehicle." The right area displays the text "Route 2," followed below it by the text "Advance Fee 13,000 Yen," and below that is a button labeled "Request a Vehicle." The user can select one of the two presented routes by performing a touch operation, etc., on either of the two "Request a Vehicle" buttons located side by side at the bottom of the vehicle dispatch request screen.

When the user terminal device 31 receives a touch operation on either of the two "Request a ride" buttons, it assumes that the user has approved the driving route and advance fee for the corresponding route, and sends a message to the ride-hailing app server device 11 notifying the user that the driving route and advance fee have been approved. Note that the ride-hailing request screen shown in this figure is not intended to accept an operation to not approve the presented driving route and advance fee, but it may also be configured to accept an operation to reject the presented driving route and advance fee and request a ride at a fare using a fare meter, for example.

The vehicle dispatch application server device 11, which receives a message approving the route and advance fare from the user terminal device 31, selects, for example, an available taxi that is closest to the desired boarding point from among the multiple taxis registered in the taxi DB 112d of the memory unit 112. The vehicle dispatch application server device 11 then transmits a vehicle dispatch request message to the taxi terminal device 21 of the selected taxi, including information on the route and advance fare, and information about the user who made the request.

When the taxi terminal device 21 receives a dispatch request message from the dispatch application server device 11, it displays the driving route and advance fee information included in the message on the display unit 214 and accepts an operation from the driver to accept the dispatch request for this driving route and advance fee. Figure 15 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a dispatch request acceptance screen displayed by the taxi terminal device 21. The taxi terminal device 21 displays a map image on the display unit 214 and superimposes the driving route on this map image. In this diagram, the user's desired boarding point is indicated by "S", the destination point by "G", the current location of the taxi by "Current", and the driving route by a solid line.

The taxi terminal device 21 displays information about the dispatch request below the map image. In this figure, the taxi terminal device 21 displays the following information about the user: "Requester: User A," the payment method: "Payment Method: Credit Card," the applicable coupon: "Discount Coupon: 100 Yen Discount," and the confirmed advance fare: "Advance fare 11,200 Yen." However, the taxi terminal device 21 does not have to notify the taxi driver of the advance fare. In other words, the taxi terminal device 21 may request a taxi dispatch without notifying the taxi driver whether the fare is based on an advance fare or whether the fare will be calculated using the fare meter 22.

The taxi terminal device 21 displays a button labeled "Accept" below this information. By accepting a touch operation or the like on the "Accept" button, the taxi terminal device 21 accepts the driver's acceptance of the user's dispatch request. Upon accepting the acceptance, the taxi terminal device 21 transmits a message to the dispatch app server device 11 notifying the driver that the dispatch request has been accepted. The dispatch app server device 11 receives the message notifying the acceptance from the taxi terminal device 21 and transmits a similar message to the user terminal device 31. Upon receiving this message, the user terminal device 31 displays a message on the display unit 314 notifying the user that the dispatch request made by the user has been accepted. Note that the dispatch request acceptance screen shown in this figure is not intended to accept an operation not to accept the dispatch request, but may be configured to accept an operation to reject the presented dispatch request, for example. Furthermore, if the advance fare is not notified to the taxi driver on the dispatch request acceptance screen, the taxi terminal device 21 may, after receiving an acceptance operation from the driver, display information such as whether the dispatch request has a confirmed advance fare, and if a confirmed advance fare has been set, the amount of the fare.

Figure 16 is a schematic diagram illustrating the process of canceling a dispatch request by the taxi information processing system according to this embodiment. A taxi driver who accepts a dispatch request from a user sends a taxi to the desired pickup point specified by the user. In this embodiment, after accepting the user's dispatch request, the taxi terminal device 21 displays a screen on the display unit 214 that accepts the cancellation of the accepted dispatch request before getting the user into the taxi. For example, if the taxi driver is unable to head to the desired pickup point due to an accident or breakdown, the taxi terminal device 21 can perform a cancellation operation on the taxi terminal device 21. Upon receiving the cancellation operation, the taxi terminal device 21 transmits a message to the dispatch app server device 11 notifying the user that the dispatch request will be canceled. The dispatch app server device 11 receives the message notifying the cancellation from the dispatch app server device 11 and transmits a similar message to the user terminal device 31. Upon receiving this message, the user terminal device 31 displays a message on the display unit 314 notifying the user that the dispatch request has been canceled.

Figure 17 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a cancellation acceptance screen displayed by the taxi terminal device 21. In this embodiment, the configuration of the cancellation acceptance screen displayed by the taxi terminal device 21 is substantially the same as the configuration of the dispatch request acceptance screen shown in Figure 15. The cancellation acceptance screen displays information related to the accepted dispatch request, such as a map image showing the travel route, information about the user, information about the payment method, information about discount coupons, and information about the advance fee. However, as shown in Figure 17, at the bottom of the cancellation acceptance screen, a button labeled "Cancel" is provided instead of the "Accept" button on the dispatch request acceptance screen shown in Figure 15. The taxi driver can cancel the accepted dispatch request by performing a touch operation or the like on this button. The taxi terminal device 21 accepts the cancellation of the accepted dispatch request in response to a touch operation or the like on the "Cancel" button on the cancellation acceptance screen.

After the taxi arrives at the desired pickup point without canceling the dispatch request, the user gets into the taxi, and the driver drives the taxi to the destination. At this time, the driver may perform a predetermined operation on the taxi terminal device 21 or fare meter 22, for example, to notify the dispatch app server device 11 that the user has boarded the taxi. The taxi terminal device 21 notifies the fare meter 22 of the advance fare determined in advance. The fare meter 22 does not display the fare that is added as needed depending on the taxi's travel distance, time, etc., but rather displays the advance fare notified by the taxi terminal device 21.

After the taxi carrying the passenger arrives at the destination, the user must pay (settle) the taxi fare. The taxi's passenger terminal device 23 displays a payment screen and accepts a taxi fare payment request from the user. Figure 18 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a payment screen displayed by the passenger terminal device 23. On the payment screen, the passenger terminal device 23 displays, for example, information such as "Payment Method: Credit Card" as the payment method and "Discount Coupon: 100 Yen Discount" as the applicable coupon, and also displays "Payment Fee: 11,200 Yen" as the payment fee, which is the pre-determined advance fee. The passenger terminal device 23 may also display the taxi's route overlaid on a map image on the payment screen. The route displayed here may be a predetermined route, the route actually traveled by the taxi, or both may be displayed overlaid.

The passenger terminal device 23 displays a button labeled "Pay" below this information. By accepting a touch operation or the like on the "Pay" button, the passenger terminal device 23 accepts approval from the user for the payment process for the displayed payment fare. After accepting approval for the payment process from the user, the taxi information processing system carries out the payment process.

Figure 19 is a schematic diagram illustrating the payment process performed by the taxi information processing system according to this embodiment. The dispatch application server device 11 transmits information about the advance fare to the taxi terminal device 21 of the taxi that accepted the dispatch request, and the taxi terminal device 21, upon receiving this information, transmits the information about the advance fare to the fare meter 22 and the passenger terminal device 23. Based on the information received from the taxi terminal device 21, the fare meter 22 and the passenger terminal device 23 each display the advance fare. The fare meter 22 and the passenger terminal device 23 continue to display the advance fare until the taxi arrives at the destination.

When a taxi carrying a passenger arrives at the destination, the taxi driver can start the payment process by operating the payment button on the operation unit 224 of the fare meter 22. When the operation unit 224 accepts the payment operation, the fare meter 22 sends a message notifying the taxi terminal device 21. The taxi terminal device 21 notifies the passenger terminal device 23 that the payment operation has been accepted. The passenger terminal device 23 displays the advance fee as the payment fare and displays a payment screen (see Figure 18) on the display unit to accept the user's approval operation for the payment.

When the passenger terminal device 23 receives approval for the payment process from the user on the payment screen, it sends a message to the taxi terminal device 21 notifying the user that the payment process has been approved. Upon receiving this message, the taxi terminal device 21 sends a message to the taxi-dispatch app server device 11 notifying the user of the payment approval, including information about the user and the payment fee, etc.

When the taxi terminal device 21 notifies the taxi dispatch app server device 11 of payment approval, the taxi dispatch app server device 11 references the user DB 112c to obtain information about the payment method and other details registered for the user paying the fare. For example, the taxi dispatch app server device 11 obtains information about the credit card company and card number used by the user for payment. The taxi dispatch app server device 11 then sends a payment request, including information about the card number and fare, to the payment server device 14 of the credit card company used for payment.

The payment server device 14 performs payment processing using a credit card, electronic money, etc. based on information from the ride-hailing app server device 11. Details of the payment processing by the payment server device 14 will not be explained here. After the payment processing is completed, the payment server device 14 notifies the ride-hailing app server device 11 of the completion of payment. The ride-hailing app server device 11 notifies the taxi terminal device 21 of the completion of payment and stores information about this ride-hailing in the order management DB 112e and ride-hailing history DB 12 of the memory unit 112. The taxi terminal device 21 notifies the passenger terminal device 23 of the completion of the payment processing, and the passenger terminal device 23 displays a message or the like on the display unit 233 indicating that the payment processing has been completed.

In addition, in this embodiment, the user can request the application of a discount, such as a disability discount, after the taxi arrives at the destination. After checking a certificate or other document showing eligibility for the discount, the taxi driver can apply the discount to the payment fare by operating the discount application button on the operation unit 224 of the fare meter 22. Although not shown in Figure 19, if an additional fee, such as a toll road fee, is required, the taxi driver performs a specified operation related to the additional fee on the taxi terminal device 21 or the fare meter 22. This operation applies the payment fare, which is the advance fee plus the additional fee.

In Figure 19, the process for applying this discount (and additional charges, etc.) is shown surrounded by a dashed line. When the fare meter 22 accepts a discount operation via the operation unit 224, it sends a message notifying the taxi terminal 21 of this. Upon receiving this message, the taxi terminal 21 calculates the payment fare by applying the discount to the previously determined advance fare, and sends a message notifying the calculated payment fare to the fare meter 22 and passenger terminal 23. Upon receiving this message, the fare meter 22 displays the newly calculated payment fare. Upon receiving this message, the passenger terminal 23 updates the payment fare displayed on the payment screen to the payment fare included in the newly received message and applies the discount.

In this embodiment, for example, if the user requests a change of destination after the advance fare has been confirmed and the user boards a taxi, but before arriving at the destination, the user pays the pre-confirmed advance fare regardless of whether the user arrives at the destination. For example, if the user verbally requests a destination, the taxi driver stops the taxi and operates the operation unit 224 of the fare meter 22 to begin the advance fare payment process. The payment procedure in this case is the same as that shown in Figures 18 and 19. After the payment process is completed, the taxi driver begins traveling to the changed destination, and the fare at this time is added according to the distance traveled, time, etc. However, the route and advance fare from the current location to the new destination may also be confirmed.

When operating a taxi using a prepaid fare, consent is required between the taxi driver and the passenger user when changing the destination or route. However, for some reason consent cannot be obtained, making it difficult to pay the prepaid fare on the spot. In such cases, the prepaid fare can be canceled and a fare calculated based on, for example, the distance and time traveled so far can be calculated and paid. For this reason, even when the taxi is traveling using a prepaid fare, the fare meter 22 calculates the fare based on the distance and time traveled by the taxi in the background.

<Flowchart>
20 is a flowchart showing the procedure of processing performed by the user terminal device 31 according to this embodiment. The display processing unit 311a of the processing unit 311 of the user terminal device 31 according to this embodiment displays on the display unit 314 a location input acceptance screen for accepting input of a desired boarding point and a destination point from a user who wishes to dispatch a taxi (step S1). Next, the dispatch request unit 311b of the processing unit 311 accepts input of the desired boarding point and the destination point based on a user operation accepted by the operation unit 315 while the location input acceptance screen is displayed (step S2). The dispatch request unit 311b transmits a dispatch request message including the accepted desired boarding point and the destination point, as well as the user ID 312b stored in the storage unit 312, to the dispatch app server device 11 (step S3).

The approval receiving unit 311c of the processing unit 311 determines whether a message including information such as a driving route and an advance fee sent by the vehicle dispatch app server device 11 in response to the vehicle dispatch request sent in step S3 has been received (step S4). If a message has not been received (S4: NO), the approval receiving unit 311c waits until a message is received. If a message including information such as a driving route and an advance fee has been received (S4: YES), the display processing unit 311a displays the vehicle dispatch request screen illustrated in FIG. 14 on the display unit 314 based on the information included in the received message (step S5). The approval receiving unit 311c accepts an operation to select a taxi driving route and approve the advance fee based on a user operation accepted by the operation unit 315 while the vehicle dispatch request screen is displayed (step S6). The approval receiving unit 311c sends a message to the vehicle dispatch app server device 11 notifying that the driving route and advance fee included in the message received in step S4 have been approved (step S7).

The processing unit 311 determines whether a message notifying completion of acceptance of the vehicle dispatch request has been received (step S8). If the acceptance completion notification has not been received (S8: NO), the processing unit 311 waits until the acceptance completion notification is received. If the acceptance completion message has been received (S8: YES), the display processing unit 311a displays a message notifying completion of acceptance of the vehicle dispatch request on the display unit 314 (step S9), and ends the processing.

Figures 21 and 22 are flowcharts showing the processing steps performed by the vehicle dispatch application server device 11 according to this embodiment. The processing unit 111 of the vehicle dispatch application server device 11 according to this embodiment determines whether a message requesting the dispatch of a taxi has been received from the user terminal device 31 (step S21). If a message requesting the dispatch of a taxi has not been received (S21: NO), the processing unit 111 waits until a message requesting the dispatch of a taxi is received.

When a message requesting a taxi dispatch is received (S21: YES), the processing unit 111 checks whether a taxi can be used with a prepaid fare based on the desired boarding point or destination included in the received message (step S22). For example, if the taxi company that has jurisdiction over the desired boarding location does not support prepaid fare, the user cannot use a taxi with a prepaid fare. If a taxi cannot be used with a prepaid fare, the processing unit 111 interrupts the processing according to this flowchart and performs the conventional taxi dispatch processing for using a taxi with a fare based on the distance traveled. Note that the conventional taxi dispatch processing is not shown in this diagram.

If a taxi is available for advance payment, the processing unit 111 determines the taxi company to dispatch the taxi based on the desired boarding point or destination included in the dispatch request message received from the user terminal device 31 (step S23). The route processing unit 111a of the processing unit 111 then determines the taxi's driving route based on the desired boarding point and destination included in the received message (step S24). The route processing unit 111a may determine multiple driving routes as candidates. The advance fare processing unit 111c of the processing unit 111 then calculates the advance fare for each driving route based on the taxi's driving route determined in step S24 and the fare calculation DB 112b of the memory unit 112 (step S25). The advance fare processing unit 111c determines the taxi's operating company based on the desired boarding point, and calculates the advance fare by substituting the value associated with the operating company in the fare calculation DB 112b and the distance of the driving route determined in step S24 into the above-mentioned formula (1). The advance fare processing unit 111c may also refer to the user DB 112c to check whether the user who requested the ride has a discount coupon, and if so, obtain information about the discount coupon from the user DB 112c and calculate the advance fare applying the discount related to the obtained coupon.

The processing unit 111 sends a message including information about the driving route determined in step S24 and the advance fare calculated in step S25 to the user terminal device 31 that made the vehicle dispatch request (step S26). The processing unit 111 determines whether or not an approval message has been received from the user terminal device 31 in response to this message (step S27). If an approval message is not received (S27: NO), for example, if a message to cancel the vehicle dispatch request is received, or if an approval message is not received even after a certain period of time has passed, the processing unit 111 discards the vehicle dispatch request and terminates processing.

If an approval message is received (S27: YES), the dispatch processing unit 111's vehicle dispatch processing unit 111's selects one taxi from among the multiple taxis registered in the taxi DB 112d of the memory unit 112 (step S28). At this time, the dispatch processing unit 111d can select an available taxi that is closest to the desired boarding point included in the received dispatch request message. The dispatch processing unit 111d then transmits a dispatch request message to the taxi terminal device 21 of the selected taxi, including information about the user, the route, the advance fare, and other information (step S29).

The vehicle dispatch processing unit 111d determines whether a message notifying acceptance of the dispatch request sent in step S29 has been received (step S30). If a message accepting the dispatch request has not been received (S30: NO), for example, if a message notifying rejection of the dispatch request has been received, or if an acceptance message has not been received even after a certain period of time has passed, the vehicle dispatch processing unit 111d returns to step S28 and repeatedly selects a taxi and sends the dispatch request message. If a message accepting the dispatch request has been received (S30: YES), the vehicle dispatch processing unit 111d sends a message notifying acceptance of the dispatch request to the user terminal device 31 that made the dispatch request (step S31). The vehicle dispatch history processing unit 111f of the processing unit 111 stores information regarding the accepted dispatch request, such as the date and time, user ID, taxi ID, driving route, and advance fee, in the order management DB 112e and vehicle dispatch history DB 12 of the memory unit 112 (step S32).

Then, the processing unit 111 determines whether a message notifying the cancellation of the dispatch request has been received from the taxi terminal device 21 of the taxi that accepted the dispatch request (step S33). If a cancellation message has been received (S33: YES), the processing unit 111 sends a message notifying the cancellation, including information such as the taxi ID of the taxi related to the cancellation, to the user terminal device 31 (step S34), and ends the processing.

If a message notifying cancellation has not been received (S33: NO), the processing unit 111 determines whether a message notifying payment approval has been received from the taxi terminal device 21 (step S35). If a payment approval message has not been received (S35: NO), the processing unit 111 returns to step S33 and waits until a cancellation or payment approval message is received. If a payment approval message has been received (S35: YES), the payment processing unit 111e of the processing unit 111 transmits the payment fee, information about the user, etc. to the payment server device 14, and requests payment processing for the taxi fare from the payment server device 14 (step S36).

Then, the payment processing unit 111e determines whether a payment completion notification has been received from the payment server device 14 (step S37). If a payment completion notification has not been received (S37: NO), the payment processing unit 111e waits until a payment completion notification is received. If a payment completion notification is received (S37: YES), the payment processing unit 111e notifies the taxi terminal device 21 of payment completion (step S38). The dispatch history processing unit 111f of the processing unit 111 stores information such as the actual driving route and payment fare for the user and taxi that performed the payment process in the order management DB 112e and the dispatch history DB 12 (step S39), and ends the processing.

Figures 23 and 24 are flowcharts showing the processing steps performed by the taxi terminal device 21 according to this embodiment. The acceptance receiving unit 211b of the processing unit 211 of the taxi terminal device 21 according to this embodiment determines whether a vehicle dispatch request message has been received from the vehicle dispatch application server device 11 (step S71). If a vehicle dispatch request message has not been received (S71: NO), the acceptance receiving unit 211b waits until a message is received. If a vehicle dispatch request message has been received (S71: YES), the display processing unit 211a of the processing unit 211 displays the vehicle dispatch request acceptance screen illustrated in Figure 15 on the display unit 214 based on the information included in the received vehicle dispatch request message (step S72).

The acceptance reception unit 211b determines whether the vehicle dispatch request has been accepted based on the operation received by the operation unit 215 while the vehicle dispatch request acceptance screen is displayed (step S73). If the vehicle dispatch request has not been accepted (S73: NO), i.e., if the vehicle dispatch request has been rejected, the acceptance reception unit 211b sends a message to the vehicle dispatch app server device 11 notifying that the vehicle dispatch request has been rejected (step S74) and terminates processing. If the vehicle dispatch request has been accepted (S73: YES), the acceptance reception unit 211b sends a message to the vehicle dispatch app server device 11 notifying that the vehicle dispatch request has been accepted (step S75).

The display processing unit 211a displays a cancellation acceptance screen on the display unit 214 that accepts an operation to cancel the vehicle dispatch request (step S76). The cancellation acceptance unit 211c of the processing unit 211 determines whether the vehicle dispatch request has been canceled based on an operation accepted by the operation unit 215 while the cancellation acceptance screen is displayed (step S77). If the vehicle dispatch request has been canceled (S77: YES), the cancellation acceptance unit 211c sends a message to the vehicle dispatch app server device 11 notifying that the vehicle dispatch request has been canceled (step S78), and terminates the processing.

If the dispatch request has not been canceled (S77: NO), the processing unit 211 communicates with the fare meter 22 to determine whether an operation to start the payment process has been performed on the operation unit 224 of the fare meter 22 (step S79). If an operation to start the payment process has not been performed (S79: NO), the processing unit 221 waits until such an operation is performed. If an operation to start the payment process has been performed (S79: YES), the display processing unit 211a transmits information about the payment fare (advance fare) to the passenger terminal device 23, thereby displaying the payment fare on the passenger terminal device 23 (step S80).

By communicating with the fare meter 22, the processing unit 211 determines whether a discount operation has been performed on the operation unit 224 of the fare meter 22 (step S81). If a discount operation has been performed (S81: YES), the processing unit 211 applies the discount to the payment fare displayed on the passenger terminal device 23 in step S80 and updates the display to the payment fare after the discount has been applied (step S82). Although not shown in Figure 24, when adding toll road fees, etc., the fee can be similarly added to the payment fare (advance fee) in accordance with the driver's operation on the fare meter 22 or taxi terminal device 21.

If no discount operation has been performed (S81: NO), or after applying the discount and updating the payment fare in step S82, the processing unit 211 determines, through communication with the passenger terminal device 23, whether the passenger terminal device 23 has accepted an approval operation for the payment process for the displayed payment fare (step S83). If an approval operation has not been accepted (S83: NO), the processing unit 211 returns to step S81. If an approval operation has been accepted (S83: YES), the processing unit 211 sends a message to the ride-hailing app server device 11 notifying that approval for the payment process for the displayed payment fare has been accepted (step S84), and ends the process.

<Information storage processing>
21 and 22, the vehicle-dispatch application server device 11 according to the present embodiment performs processing to store and accumulate various pieces of information related to taxi dispatch as history in the order management DB 112e and the vehicle-dispatch history DB 12. Note that the vehicle-dispatch application server device 11 may accumulate information at various times other than those described above.

In addition, as shown in Figures 6 and 7, the taxi dispatch app server device 11 stores information such as the date and time related to taxi dispatch (such as the date and time the dispatch request was received, the date and time the user boarded the taxi, or the date and time the payment process was completed), the user ID, the taxi ID, the advance route, the advance fare, the actual route, and the payment fare in the order management DB 112e and the taxi dispatch history DB 12. However, the information stored by the taxi dispatch app server device 11 in the order management DB 112e and the taxi dispatch history DB 12 is not limited to the above, and may also store various information such as whether the taxi driver or the user canceled the taxi, or images of the interior and exterior taken by a camera mounted on the taxi.

Figure 25 is a flowchart illustrating an example of information accumulation processing performed by the vehicle dispatch application server device 11 according to this embodiment. When the vehicle dispatch history processing unit 111 of the processing unit 111 of the vehicle dispatch application server device 11 according to this embodiment receives a taxi dispatch request from the user terminal device 31 (step S101), the vehicle dispatch history processing unit 111f stores the date and time of receiving the dispatch request, the user ID transmitted along with the dispatch request, the taxi boarding reservation time, the boarding reservation location, and the disembarking reservation location, and the reservation number generated by the vehicle dispatch application server device 11 in the order management DB 112e (step S102).

When the advance fare for a taxi is determined (step S103), the dispatch history processing unit 111f stores the determined advance route and advance fare in the order management DB 112e (step S104). Furthermore, when the taxi driver accepts the dispatch request (step S105), the dispatch history processing unit 111f stores the reservation number, date and time, user ID, and taxi ID in the dispatch history DB 112e (step S106).

When the dispatch history processing unit 111f is notified by the taxi terminal device 21 that the user has boarded a taxi (step S107), it stores the actual boarding time and actual boarding location in the dispatch history DB 12 (step S108). Furthermore, when the dispatch history processing unit 111f is notified by the taxi terminal device 21 that the user has arrived at the destination (step S109), it stores the actual driving route, payment fare, and actual drop-off location in the dispatch history DB 12 (step S110).

When payment processing is performed (step S111), the dispatch history processing unit 111f stores the cancellation status, payment method, coupon usage status, and discount status in the dispatch history DB 12 (step S112), and then terminates processing.

Note that the timing at which the ride-dispatch app server device 11 stores information and the type of information stored are not limited to those shown in this diagram. The ride-dispatch app server device 11 may store appropriate information in the order management DB 112e or the ride-dispatch history DB 12 at appropriate times.

The vehicle dispatch app server device 11 according to this embodiment performs processing to display information stored in the order management DB 112e and the vehicle dispatch history DB 12 on the display unit 114. For example, an administrator managing the system can operate the operation unit 115 of the vehicle dispatch app server device 11 to select one of the multiple histories stored in the vehicle dispatch history DB 12 and display the information of the selected history on the display unit 114. Furthermore, for example, an employee of a taxi company can access the vehicle dispatch app server device 11 using the information processing device 13 to display similar history information on the display unit of the information processing device 13.

Figure 26 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a dispatch history screen displayed by the taxi company's information processing device 13, which is displayed based on information acquired by the information processing device 13 from the dispatch application server device 11. The illustrated dispatch history screen assumes that the administrator has selected the history for January 20, 2020, 11:12, which is included in the order management DB 112e shown in Figure 6 and the dispatch history DB 12 shown in Figure 7.

In this example, on the dispatch history screen, the information processing device 13 displays the string "January 20, 2020, 11:12" as the date and time information of the history as a title at the top. Below this title, the information processing device 13 displays the predetermined taxi route and the route actually traveled by the taxi superimposed on a map image. In this figure, the boarding point where the user boarded the taxi is indicated by "S," and the disembarking point is indicated by "G." The boarding point may be either the desired boarding point entered by the user or the point where the user actually boarded the taxi. If these are different, they may be superimposed on the map image so that they can be distinguished. The disembarking point may be either the destination point entered by the user or the point where the user actually disembarked from the taxi. If these are different, they may be superimposed on the map image so that they can be distinguished. In this figure, the predetermined taxi route is indicated by a solid line as the "pre-planned route," and the route actually traveled by the taxi that differs from the pre-planned route is indicated by a dashed line as the "actual route."

The information processing device 13 displays a list of various information related to taxi dispatch next to a map image showing the driving route. In this example, the following information is displayed vertically: the taxi's taxi ID "Taxi A33", the passenger's user ID "User 123", the coupon used "Discount coupon 100 yen off", the pre-determined advance fare "Advance fare 1,234 yen", the payment processing method "Payment method credit card", and the paid fare "Payment fare 1,134 yen".

The information processing device 13 also displays a button labeled "Contact Customer" in the lower right corner of the dispatch history screen. This button is for sending a message by email or the like to the user who used the taxi. When a mouse click operation or a touch operation on the touch panel is received on this button, the information processing device 13 displays a message input screen (not shown) and accepts message input. The information processing device 13 transmits the input message to the dispatch app server device 11. Based on information such as the user ID stored in the dispatch history DB 12 and the email address stored in the user DB 112c, the dispatch app server device 11 transmits the message received by the information processing device 13 to the user terminal device 31 of the user who used the taxi. The dispatch app server device 11 also stores information such as the content of the message sent to the user and the date and time of transmission in the dispatch history DB 12, etc.

The taxi dispatch application server device 11 according to this embodiment can store various information related to taxi dispatch in the order management DB 112e and the dispatch history DB 12, and display the stored information on the display unit 114. This allows, for example, information about locations where discrepancies frequently occur between a predetermined driving route and the actual driving route to be used as reference for considering improvements to the method of determining a predetermined driving route. It is also expected that, for example, questions or complaints from users who have used a taxi can be appropriately handled based on the stored history information. Note that the taxi dispatch history screen shown in FIG. 26 is an example and is not limited to this, and the information displayed and the display format of the information can be changed as appropriate.

<Summary>
The taxi-dispatch application server device 11 of the taxi information processing system according to the present embodiment configured as described above determines a driving route based on the desired boarding point and destination point of a user wishing to board a taxi, and determines an advance fare for the taxi ride based on the determined driving route. The taxi-dispatch application server device 11 transmits information on the determined driving route and the determined advance fare to the user terminal device 31 and the taxi terminal device 21, thereby displaying the driving route and the advance fare on the user terminal device 31 and the taxi terminal device 21. The taxi-dispatch application server device 11 also stores information including the determined driving route and the determined advance fare in the order management DB 112e and the taxi-dispatch history DB 12.

This allows users to use taxis at a pre-determined fare, rather than a fare calculated based on the distance traveled and time taken. Users can check the taxi's route and advance fare in advance on their own user terminal device 31. The taxi driver can confirm the route and advance fare on the taxi terminal device 21 and accept the dispatch request. In addition, because the dispatch app server device 11 stores and accumulates information related to taxi dispatches in the order management DB 112e and dispatch history DB 12, users can check information such as the route traveled by the taxi and the fare paid after the fact.

In addition, the fare meter 22 of the taxi terminal system 20 installed in the taxi 2 according to this embodiment displays the confirmed advance fare while the user is in the taxi. This allows the user to easily check the fare to be paid while in the taxi.

In addition, the vehicle dispatch application server device 11 according to this embodiment associates a predetermined driving route with the actual driving route traveled by the taxi and stores the association information in the order management DB 112e and the vehicle dispatch history DB 12. This allows the system administrator or the like to subsequently confirm whether the taxi traveled the predetermined driving route.

The taxi-dispatch app server device 11 according to this embodiment also acquires information related to discount coupons owned by the user from the user DB 112c, and determines the advance fare based on the acquired information related to the discount coupons and the determined driving route. The taxi terminal device 21 of the taxi terminal system 20 also acquires information related to the availability of discounts, such as a disability discount, by accepting a discount operation via the operation unit 224 of the fare meter 22, and calculates the payment fare with the discount applied to the advance fare. This allows the advance fare with the discount applied in advance to be presented to the user for discount coupons that do not require verification of a certificate, etc., and allows the taxi 2 to apply discounts, such as a disability discount, that require verification of a certificate, etc.

In addition, the taxi terminal system 20 according to this embodiment displays the payment fare calculated by the taxi terminal device 21 after applying the discount on the passenger terminal device 23 installed at the rear of the taxi. This allows users riding in the taxi to easily check the payment fare with the discount applied.

In addition, the vehicle dispatch application server device 11 according to this embodiment stores the fare calculation standards for each taxi operating company in the fare calculation DB 112b of the storage unit 112. The vehicle dispatch application server device 11 determines the operating company of the taxi to be dispatched based on the desired boarding point input by the user, and determines the advance fare based on the fare calculation standards of the determined operating company. This makes it possible to dispatch taxis from multiple operating companies with different fare calculation standards to the user.

Furthermore, in the taxi information processing system according to this embodiment, if a request to change a pre-determined route is received from a user after the user has boarded a taxi, the pre-determined advance fare is processed for payment, and the taxi heads to the changed destination after the payment process is completed. This ensures that the pre-determined advance fare is paid reliably.

Furthermore, in the taxi information processing system according to this embodiment, the taxi driver can cancel the dispatch request on the taxi terminal device 21 after the advance fare has been determined and before the user boards the taxi. When the taxi terminal device 21 accepts the cancellation operation, the taxi terminal device 21 notifies the user terminal device 31 of the cancellation via the dispatch app server device 11. This allows the user terminal device 31 to reliably inform the user that the dispatch request has been canceled.

(Variation 1)
FIG. 27 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of the fare calculation DB 112b according to Modification 1. The fare calculation DB 112b according to Modification 1 is obtained by adding information about long-distance discounts to the fare calculation DB 112b shown in FIG. 3. The fare calculation DB 112b according to Modification 1 stores information about long-distance discounts, such as a "standard" and a "coefficient," in association with the taxi operating company. In this embodiment, the long-distance discount is achieved by multiplying the fare added thereafter by a predetermined coefficient, for example, when the taxi's travel distance exceeds a predetermined distance or the fare exceeds a predetermined amount. The "standard" in the fare calculation DB 112b is a predetermined distance or a predetermined amount that determines whether or not to apply the long-distance discount. The "coefficient" is a value by which the fare added after the standard is exceeded is multiplied.

The ride-hailing app server device 11 according to Variation 1 determines a driving route from the desired boarding point and destination point input by the user, and calculates a prepayment fare based on the determined driving route. At this time, if the distance of the determined driving route exceeds a predetermined distance set as the "standard," or if the calculated prepayment fare exceeds a predetermined amount set as the "standard," the ride-hailing app server device 11 calculates a prepayment fare with a long-distance discount applied.

Note that the information stored in fee calculation DB 112b is not limited to that shown in Figures 3 and 27, and various other information used in fee calculation may be stored.

(Variation 2)
In the taxi information processing system according to the above-described embodiment, different fare calculation standards are used for each taxi operating company, as shown in Figures 3 and 27, for example, but this is not limited to this. For example, the same fare calculation standard may be used for multiple taxi operating companies, and in this case, the user will pay the same advance fare regardless of which operating company uses the taxi.

In addition, some of the "initial fare," "initial distance," "additional unit," "additional fare," and "coefficient" contained in the fare calculation DB 112b shown in Figures 3 and 27 may be standardized across multiple operating companies. For example, multiple taxi operating companies may use the same "coefficient," while each operating company may use different values for other items such as the "initial fare."

<Second Embodiment>
The taxi information processing system according to the second embodiment is a system that allows a user to select a taxi when there are multiple taxis available for a prepaid fare. The taxi-dispatch application server device 11 of the taxi information processing system according to the second embodiment receives input of a desired boarding point and a destination point via a user terminal device 31, and then determines a driving route from the desired boarding point to the destination point. At this time, the taxi-dispatch application server device 11 calculates multiple candidate driving routes based on different conditions, such as distance priority and expressway priority, and receives a selection of a driving route from the user via the user terminal device 31.

Figure 28 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a driving route selection screen displayed by a user terminal device 31 according to embodiment 2. Similar to the vehicle dispatch request screen shown in Figure 14, the driving route selection screen shown in Figure 28 presents the user with two driving route candidates, for example, "Route 1 (general dominant)," which is a driving route candidate calculated with priority given to general roads, and "Route 2 (highway dominant)," which is a driving route candidate calculated with priority given to expressways.

The taxi dispatch application server device 11 also determines a taxi company (taxi operating company) available for dispatch to the user based on information such as the desired boarding point and destination entered by the user, "area" information contained in the fare calculation DB 112b, and information on available taxis near the desired boarding point, and determines the advance fare based on the fare calculation standard of the determined taxi company. The taxi information processing system of embodiment 2 allows taxis from multiple taxi companies to operate in a single area, and allows each taxi company to use different advance fare calculation standards. Therefore, the taxi dispatch application server device 11 calculates advance fares for each candidate route for all taxi companies available to the user, transmits information on the minimum (lowest price) and maximum (highest price) of the calculated advance fares to the user terminal device 31, and displays the range of advance fares to the user. In the example shown in Figure 28, the advance fares for Route 1 range from 11,200 yen to 11,800 yen, and the advance fares for Route 2 range from 11,600 yen to 12,000 yen. In this example, when Route 2 is selected, the text "Separate toll passage fee applies," indicating that a separate fee is required for using toll roads such as expressways, is displayed along with the advance fee for Route 2. Although not shown in the example, further information such as the estimated travel time for each route or the time of arrival at the destination may also be displayed. Furthermore, for Route 2, an approximate fee for using toll roads may be displayed, or an advance fee including the toll road fee may be displayed.

The user can select one of multiple candidate driving routes displayed on the user terminal device 31. In the lower area of the illustrated driving route selection screen, information about route 1 and route 2, which are candidate driving routes, is displayed on the left and right, and a button labeled "Select this route" is provided below the information for each route. The user can select the corresponding driving route by touching, tapping, or otherwise performing an operation on one of the "Select this route" buttons. The user terminal device 31 accepts the user's selection of a driving route by accepting an operation on one of the buttons, and notifies the ride-hailing app server device 11 of the selection result.

The vehicle-dispatch app server device 11, which receives a route selection by a user via the user terminal device 31, transmits information regarding the selected route and the calculated advance fare to the user terminal device 31 for display. Figures 29 and 30 are schematic diagrams showing examples of information display screens displayed by the user terminal device 31 according to embodiment 2. Note that Figure 29 shows the case where route 1 is selected on the screen of Figure 28, and Figure 30 shows the case where route 2 is selected.

The user terminal device 31 displays a map image at the top of the information display screen, and also displays the driving route selected by the user superimposed on this map image. In this figure, the user's desired boarding point is indicated by "S," the destination point by "G," and the driving route is indicated by a solid line. The user terminal device 31 also displays a roughly rectangular message display area at the top of the map image. In this message display area, the user terminal device 31 displays, for example, the advance fee amount and information regarding any other fees that may be added. In Figure 29, the information displayed is "11,200 yen to 11,800 yen, plus a separate pick-up fee." In Figure 30, the information displayed is "11,600 yen to 12,000 yen, plus a separate toll passage fee and pick-up fee."

In addition, a button labeled "Select Route" is provided in the lower right corner of the map image. When an operation on the "Select Route" button is accepted, the user terminal device 31 displays the route selection screen shown in FIG. 28 and accepts the user's selection of a route. This allows the user to reselect a route.

The user terminal device 31 displays, below the map image, information about taxi companies, destinations, payment methods, and so on. In this example, the user terminal device 31 displays information about taxi companies that show "all taxis" available for dispatch, and indicates that taxis are expected to arrive in approximately 1 to 3 minutes.

If a user wishes to use a specific taxi company, the user can specify and set in advance the taxi company that will calculate the advance fare and request a taxi dispatch. When the user terminal device 31 accepts an operation on a button labeled "Specify taxi company," it displays a taxi company selection screen (not shown) and accepts the selection of a taxi company. The taxi company selection screen may, for example, display a list of taxi company names. The user terminal device 31 accepts the selection of one taxi company from the list and notifies the taxi dispatch application server device 11 of the accepted taxi company. Each taxi company listed on the taxi company selection screen also displays information indicating whether or not a taxi can be used with an advance fare, such as a label or icon with the string "Advance fare support." This allows the user to easily determine which taxi companies support the advance fare system. When the user selects a taxi company, the taxi dispatch application server device 11 limits the taxi companies eligible for advance fare calculation and dispatch to the selected taxi companies. The taxi dispatch application server device 11 may also set the selected taxi company as the default setting for future advance fare calculations and taxi dispatches for this user.

The user terminal device 31 also displays destination information, such as the destination address entered by the user, such as "Destination: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo...". The user terminal device 31 also displays payment method information, such as the fact that a credit card has been set as the payment method and that payment is to be made in advance.

The user terminal device 31 displays a button labeled "Select a taxi" below this information. When the user terminal device 31 receives an operation on the "Select a taxi" button, it notifies the ride-dispatch app server device 11 of this. In response, the ride-dispatch app server device 11 transmits information about available taxis to the user terminal device 31 and displays a taxi selection screen on the user terminal device 31 that accepts the user's selection of a taxi.

Figure 31 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a taxi selection screen displayed by a user terminal device 31 according to embodiment 2. The taxi selection screen in this example has an area at the top for displaying messages to the user, one or more areas below that for selecting taxis, and a button labeled "Call a taxi" at the bottom.

In this example, the top area of the taxi selection screen displays messages such as "Which taxi would you like to call?", "Fare may vary due to additional charges or discounts," and "Coupons will be applied when you disembark." Note that these messages are only examples and are not limiting; any message may be displayed on the taxi selection screen. Coupons may also be applied at other times, such as when you board the taxi.

Each rectangular area provided as an option on the taxi selection screen contains information such as the advance fare, estimated time until boarding, icons of one or more taxi companies, and radio buttons for accepting selections. In this example, three advance fare options are shown: 11,200 yen, 11,500 yen, and 11,800 yen, but the number of options displayed may be one, two, four, or more.

In the illustrated example, after the advance fare for each option, information regarding the estimated time until boarding a taxi is displayed, such as "Board in approximately 2-5 minutes," "Board in approximately 2-7 minutes," and "Board in approximately 1 minute." For example, the ride-hailing app server device 11 obtains information about taxis located near the user's desired boarding point from the information processing device 13 of each taxi company, and calculates the estimated time until boarding a taxi based on the distance between the location of each taxi and the user's desired boarding point, etc. The ride-hailing app server device 11 transmits the calculated estimated time information for each taxi to the user terminal device 31, and the user terminal device 31 can receive this information and display the estimated time until boarding a taxi on the taxi selection screen. Note that the estimated time information does not have to be displayed on the taxi selection screen.

In the taxi information processing system according to this embodiment, advance fares are calculated according to calculation standards established for each taxi company, and there may be multiple taxi companies with the same calculated advance fares. In such cases, multiple taxi companies with the same advance fares are grouped together and displayed as a single option on the taxi selection screen. In the illustrated example, one or more icons (shown as roughly square shapes with rounded corners) are displayed below the advance fare for each option. Each icon represents one taxi company; in this example, two taxi companies are grouped under the first option with an advance fare of 11,200 yen, three taxi companies are grouped under the second option with an advance fare of 11,500 yen, and one taxi company is grouped under the third option with an advance fare of 11,800 yen. Note that although each icon is represented by a solid color in this illustration, in reality, each icon displays information such as the taxi company's logo or name.

Although not shown in the figure, when a touch operation or the like is received for one of the options, the user terminal device 31 displays detailed information regarding the calculation of the corresponding advance fare. For example, the detailed information may display whether or not there is a discount that can be applied to the advance fare, as well as the type and amount of the discount. The detailed information may also display pick-up fees, toll passage fees, and late-night/early-morning surcharges that may be added to the advance fare. The displayed detailed information may include, for example, the initial fare and late-night surcharge coefficient used when calculating the advance fare.

The radio buttons provided for each option on the taxi selection screen are intended to accept an operation to select one option from multiple options. When a touch operation or the like is accepted for one of the radio buttons, the user terminal device 31 assumes that the corresponding option has been selected and highlights the selected option to indicate that it is selected. In the example shown, the selected status of the 11,200 yen advance fare option is indicated by the highlighted rectangular area framed in a thick line.

The "Call a Taxi" button located at the bottom of the taxi selection screen is used to notify the taxi selection result to the ride-hailing app server device 11. This button accepts operation when any option on the taxi selection screen is selected, and does not accept operation when all options are unselected. When operation on the "Call a Taxi" button is accepted, the user terminal device 31 transmits information about which option was selected to the ride-hailing app server device 11.

In this embodiment, the taxi dispatch application server device 11 determines which taxi company's taxi to dispatch from among the multiple taxi companies grouped in the options. Therefore, in the taxi information processing system according to embodiment 2, the user indirectly selects a taxi by selecting the advance fare for the taxi, and the final taxi selection is left to the taxi dispatch application server device 11. When the advance fare for taxis from multiple taxi companies is the same, the taxi dispatch application server device 11 can select taxis in order of proximity to the user's desired boarding point and attempt to dispatch a taxi to the user. The taxi dispatch application server device 11 may use any criteria to select a taxi company from among the multiple taxi companies. Alternatively, the user terminal device 31 may further receive an operation from the user to select one taxi company from among the multiple taxi companies.

Note that the processing of dispatching a taxi by the taxi-dispatch application server device 11 after the taxi selection result is transmitted from the user terminal device 31 to the taxi-dispatch application server device 11 is the same as the processing described in the previous embodiment, and therefore a detailed description of the processing will be omitted in embodiment 2.

Figure 32 is a flowchart showing the processing steps performed by the vehicle-dispatch application server device 11 according to the second embodiment. The processing unit 111 of the vehicle-dispatch application server device 11 according to the second embodiment accepts input of a desired boarding point and a destination point by a user via the user terminal device 31 (step S201). The processing unit 111 calculates candidate taxi routes from the desired boarding point to the destination point based on the accepted input of the desired boarding point and destination point and map information, etc. (step S202). The processing unit 111 also calculates advance fares based on the fare calculation DB 112b for each taxi operating company that can dispatch vehicles to this area (step S203).

The processing unit 111 transmits information regarding the calculated driving route and advance fee to the user terminal device 31, causing the user terminal device 31 to display a driving route selection screen (see Figure 28) (step S204). The processing unit 111 accepts the user's selection of a driving route via the user terminal device 31 displaying the driving route selection screen (step S205). The processing unit 111 causes the user terminal device 31 to display an information display screen (see Figures 29 and 30) that displays information regarding the selected driving route, advance fee, etc. (step S206).

The processing unit 111 determines whether the user has requested a route change based on whether or not the "Route Selection" button on the information display screen has been operated (step S207). If a route change request has been made (S207: YES), the processing unit 111 returns to step S204, displays a route selection screen on the user terminal device 31, and performs the above-mentioned processing.

If a route change request has not been made (S207: NO), the processing unit 111 causes the user terminal device 31 to display a taxi selection screen (see FIG. 31) in response to an operation on the "Select a taxi" button (step S208). The processing unit 111 accepts from the user, via the user terminal device 31 that is displaying the taxi selection screen, a selection of an advance fare from one or more advance fare options displayed on the taxi selection screen (step S209). The processing unit 111 determines a taxi company based on the advance fare selected by the user, makes a taxi dispatch request to the information processing device 13 of this taxi company (step S210), and ends the processing.

The user then boards a taxi at the desired boarding point, and when they get off at the destination, payment is processed based on the pre-determined fare. However, in the taxi information processing system of this embodiment, the user can cancel the taxi's operation based on the pre-determined fare between the time the user boards a taxi at the desired boarding point and the time the taxi arrives at the destination, and change to operation based on the fare calculated by the taxi's fare meter.

This change may occur, for example, if the taxi driver changes the destination for personal reasons and the user does not agree to the taxi operating at the pre-determined advance fare. It may also occur, for example, if the user arrives late at the desired pickup point and the taxi driver charges an additional fee for waiting time. A change from the advance fare to the metered fare may occur for a variety of other reasons, including when the passenger user requests a change or when the taxi driver requests a change.

If the advance fare is changed to the meter fare after the taxi has started traveling from the desired boarding point to the destination, the user pays the fare for the journey so far. At this time, the user may, for example, pay the predetermined advance fare, or the amount to be paid by the user may be calculated based on the distance traveled so far and the advance fare, or the user may pay a flat cancellation fee, or an amount other than these. Furthermore, the amount to be paid by the user when changing from the advance fare to the meter fare may be calculated using different criteria depending on whether the change is at the user's request or the taxi driver's request.

The taxi information processing system according to the second embodiment, configured as described above, stores the fare calculation standards for each taxi operating company in the fare calculation DB 112b, calculates the advance fare for each operating company, accepts the user's selection of an advance fare from among multiple advance fare options, and confirms the selected advance fare as the taxi advance fare. This allows the user to compare advance fares that vary between taxi operating companies and select the advance fare that is most suitable for them when using a taxi.

The taxi information processing system according to embodiment 2 also displays advance fare options on the taxi selection screen, grouping operating companies with the same calculated advance fare, and accepts the selection of an advance fare. The displayed options are accompanied by information such as an icon that identifies one or more operating companies included in the group. This simplifies the options when there are many operating companies, and allows the user to easily recognize which operating company provides the advance fare they are selecting.

The taxi information processing system according to embodiment 2 also displays multiple route options on a route selection screen, accepts route selection based on the selected option, and provides the displayed options with information on minimum and maximum advance fares. This allows the user to check the approximate fare before selecting a route.

Note that the screen configurations shown in Figures 28 to 30 in Embodiment 2 are merely examples and are not limiting, and may be modified as appropriate.

Furthermore, the other configurations of the taxi information processing system according to embodiment 2 are the same as those of the taxi information processing system according to embodiment 1, so similar parts are given the same reference numerals and detailed explanations are omitted.

The embodiments disclosed herein should be considered in all respects to be illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is defined by the claims, not by the meaning described above, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims.

2 Taxi 3 User 11 Vehicle dispatch application server device 12 Vehicle dispatch history DB
13 Information processing device 14 Payment server device 20 Taxi terminal system 21 Taxi terminal device 22 Fare meter 23 Passenger terminal device 31 User terminal device 98, 99 Recording medium 111 Processing unit 111a Route processing unit 111b Order processing unit 111c Advance fare processing unit 111d Vehicle dispatch processing unit 111e Payment processing unit 111f Vehicle dispatch history processing unit 111g Display processing unit 112 Storage unit 112a Server program 112b Fare calculation DB
112c User DB
112d Taxi DB
112e Order management DB
113 Communication unit 114 Display unit 115 Operation unit 211 Processing unit 211a Display processing unit 211b Acceptance receiving unit 211c Cancellation receiving unit 212 Storage unit 212a Program 212b Taxi ID
213 Communication unit 214 Display unit 215 Operation unit 216 GPS receiving unit 221 Processing unit 222 Communication unit 223 Display unit 224 Operation unit 231 Processing unit 232 Communication unit 233 Display unit 234 Operation unit 311 Processing unit 311a Display processing unit 311b Vehicle dispatch request unit 311c Approval receiving unit 312 Storage unit 312a Program 312b User ID
313 Communication unit 314 Display unit 315 Operation unit 316 GPS receiving unit

Claims (13)

A taxi information processing method in which a computer determines a travel route based on a desired boarding point and a destination point of a user who wishes to board a taxi, and determines a fare for the taxi ride in advance based on the determined travel route,
The computer
outputting a combination of the travel route and the advance fee as a plurality of options;
Accepting a selection of a travel route based on the selection of the option by the user ;
Remember the fare calculation standards for each taxi operating company,
Calculating advance fees for a plurality of operating companies based on the stored fee calculation criteria;
Outputs advance fee options that group together operating companies with the same calculated advance fee,
The options are provided with information identifying the operating companies included in the group;
Accepting an advance fee selection based on the selection of said option;
Confirm your selection at the pre-paid rate,
Taxi information processing method. A taxi information processing method in which a computer determines a travel route based on a desired boarding point and a destination point of a user who wishes to board a taxi, and determines a fare for the taxi ride in advance based on the determined travel route,
The computer
Output multiple driving route options,
The options are provided with minimum and maximum advance fees calculated for a plurality of operating companies;
Accepting a selection of a travel route based on the selection of the option by the user;
Remember the fare calculation standards for each taxi operating company,
Calculating advance fees for a plurality of operating companies based on the stored fee calculation criteria;
Output the calculated multiple advance fee options,
Accepting an advance fee selection based on the selection of said option;
Confirm your selection at the pre-paid rate,
Taxi information processing method. If multiple travel routes cannot be determined based on the user's desired boarding point and destination point, determine one travel route.
3. The taxi information processing method according to claim 1 or 2 . determining multiple driving routes according to multiple different priority conditions;
4. A taxi information processing method according to claim 1. When determining a plurality of different driving routes, the plurality of driving routes include a driving route that uses a toll road and a driving route that does not use a toll road.
4. The taxi information processing method according to claim 1, wherein the taxi information processing method comprises: a user terminal device having a reception unit that receives input of information related to a desired boarding point and a destination point of a user who wishes to board a taxi;
a server device having a travel route determination unit that determines a taxi travel route based on information related to the desired boarding point and the destination point received by the user terminal device, and an advance fare determination unit that determines an advance fare for the taxi ride based on the determined travel route;
The user terminal device
outputting a combination of the travel route and the advance fee as a plurality of options;
Accepting a selection of a travel route based on the selection of the option by the user;
The advance fee determination unit of the server device
Remember the fare calculation standards for each taxi operating company,
Calculating advance fees for a plurality of operating companies based on the stored fee calculation criteria;
The user terminal device
Outputs advance fee options that group together operating companies with the same calculated advance fee,
The options are provided with information identifying the operating companies included in the group;
Accepting an advance fee selection based on the selection of said option;
the advance fee determination unit of the server device determines the selected advance fee as the accepted fee;
Taxi information processing system. a user terminal device having a reception unit that receives input of information related to a desired boarding point and a destination point of a user who wishes to board a taxi;
a server device having a travel route determination unit that determines a taxi travel route based on information related to the desired boarding point and the destination point received by the user terminal device, and an advance fare determination unit that determines an advance fare related to the taxi ride based on the determined travel route;
Equipped with
The user terminal device
Output multiple driving route options,
The options are provided with minimum and maximum advance fees calculated for a plurality of operating companies;
Accepting a selection of a travel route based on the selection of the option by the user;
The advance fee determination unit of the server device
Remember the fare calculation standards for each taxi operating company,
Calculating advance fees for a plurality of operating companies based on the stored fee calculation criteria;
The user terminal device
The server device outputs a plurality of options for advance fees calculated;
Accepting an advance fee selection based on the selection of said option;
the advance fee determination unit of the server device determines the advance fee selected by the user terminal device;
Taxi information processing system. A server device comprising: a communication unit that communicates with a user terminal device having a reception unit that receives input of information related to a desired boarding point and a destination point of a user who wishes to board a taxi; and a processing unit that determines a plurality of travel routes based on the desired boarding point and the destination point of the user who wishes to board a taxi, and determines a prepayment fare for the taxi ride based on the determined travel routes ,
Remember the fare calculation standards for each taxi operating company,
The processing unit
outputting a plurality of combinations of the travel route and the advance fee to a user terminal device as options;
Accepting a selection of a travel route based on the selection of the option by the user via the user terminal device ;
Calculating advance fees for a plurality of operating companies based on the stored fee calculation criteria;
outputting to the user terminal device advance fee options that group together operating companies that have the same calculated advance fee;
The options are provided with information identifying the operating companies included in the group;
Accepting a selection of an advance fee based on the selection of the option via the user terminal device;
Confirm your selection at the pre-paid rate,
Server device. A server device comprising: a communication unit that communicates with a user terminal device having a reception unit that receives input of information related to a desired boarding point and a destination point of a user who wishes to board a taxi; and a processing unit that determines a plurality of travel routes based on the desired boarding point and the destination point of the user who wishes to board a taxi, and determines a prepayment fare for the taxi ride based on the determined travel routes,
Remember the fare calculation standards for each taxi operating company,
The processing unit
outputting a plurality of travel route options to a user terminal device;
The options are provided with minimum and maximum advance fees calculated for a plurality of operating companies;
accepting a selection of a travel route based on a selection of the option by the user via the user terminal device;
Calculating advance fees for a plurality of operating companies based on the stored fee calculation criteria;
outputting the calculated plurality of advance fee options to the user terminal device;
Accepting a selection of an advance fee based on the selection of the option via the user terminal device;
Confirm your selection at the pre-paid rate,
Server device. A user terminal device comprising: a reception unit that receives input of information relating to a desired boarding point and a destination point of a user who wishes to board a taxi; a travel route determination unit that determines a taxi travel route based on the information relating to the desired boarding point and the destination point received by the reception unit; a communication unit that communicates with a server device having a pre-payment fare determination unit that determines a pre-payment fare for the taxi ride based on the determined travel route; and a processing unit;
The processing unit
outputting a combination of the travel route and the advance fee as a plurality of options;
Accepting a selection of a travel route based on the selection of the option by the user ;
outputting advance fare options that group together operating companies with the same advance fare calculated by the advance fare determination unit of the server device based on the fare calculation standard for each taxi operating company;
The options are provided with information identifying the operating companies included in the group;
accepting a selection of an advance fee based on the selection of said option;
User terminal equipment. A user terminal device comprising: a reception unit that receives input of information relating to a desired boarding point and a destination point of a user who wishes to board a taxi; a travel route determination unit that determines a taxi travel route based on the information relating to the desired boarding point and the destination point received by the reception unit; a communication unit that communicates with a server device having a pre-payment fare determination unit that determines a pre-payment fare for the taxi ride based on the determined travel route; and a processing unit;
The processing unit
Output multiple driving route options,
The options are provided with minimum and maximum advance fees calculated for a plurality of operating companies;
Accepting a selection of a travel route based on the selection of the option by the user;
outputting a plurality of advance fare options for a plurality of operating companies calculated by the advance fare determination unit of the server device based on the fare calculation standard for each taxi operating company;
accepting a selection of an advance fee based on the selection of said option;
User terminal equipment. A computer program that causes a computer to execute a process of determining a plurality of travel routes based on a desired boarding point and a destination point of a user who wishes to board a taxi , and determining a prepayment fare for the taxi ride based on the determined travel routes,
outputting a plurality of combinations of the travel route and the advance fee to a user terminal device as options;
Accepting a selection of a travel route based on the selection of the option by the user via the user terminal device ;
Calculate advance fares for multiple taxi operating companies based on the fare calculation standards for each operating company,
outputting to the user terminal device advance fee options that group together operating companies that have the same calculated advance fee;
The options are provided with information identifying the operating companies included in the group;
Accepting a selection of an advance fee based on the selection of the option via the user terminal device;
Confirm your selection with the pre-selected price
A computer program that causes the computer to execute a process. A computer program that causes a computer to execute a process of determining a plurality of travel routes based on a desired boarding point and a destination point of a user who wishes to board a taxi, and determining a prepayment fare for the taxi ride based on the determined travel routes,
outputting a plurality of travel route options to a user terminal device;
The options are provided with minimum and maximum advance fees calculated for a plurality of operating companies;
accepting a selection of a travel route based on a selection of the option by the user via the user terminal device;
Calculate advance fares for multiple taxi operating companies based on the fare calculation standards for each operating company,
outputting the calculated plurality of advance fee options to the user terminal device;
Accepting a selection of an advance fee based on the selection of the option via the user terminal device;
Confirm your selection with the pre-selected price
A computer program that causes a computer to perform a process.