Taxi radio
As Taxifunk a radio application of will -based mobile communications or land mobile service called. It is generally used for communication of taxi companies with taxis and taxis to communicate with each other.
This is done either via voice radio , data radio with a self-operated network or data radio via cellular network . In many places, inexpensive data radio via the cellular network has established itself, often supplemented by conventional voice radio.
function
The aim is to provide the passenger with a taxi as quickly as possible. The taxi customer calls a radio control center and orders a taxi to a desired address. The taxi closest to the customer's address is selected via a computer. The taxi driver receives this order via radio or radio and can accept or reject it.
The corresponding terminal of the taxi driver is a conventional PDA or a smartphone with a corresponding communication program or a radio system.
development
In contrast to voice switching, which was common in the past, the switching of an order between the radio center and the vehicle is largely automated in Europe . For this, the taxis need a GPS- assisted switching device with a data connection to the switching server, usually via the cellular network, less often via company radio.
If an order is received by a call center agent and entered into the system, the system calculates an approximate arrival time of the nearest taxi from the current circulation time and notifies the caller via SMS. At the same time, the driver of the nearest available taxi receives a message with the destination address that the caller gave the call center agent.
The advantage of this innovation is usually faster mediation, as there is no mediation between the control center and the drivers, which is based on a fixed protocol. In addition, less qualified personnel is required to place orders.
Even before the introduction of radio data transmission, there was a fully automatic switching technology such as the so-called telebooking process, in which the address of the caller is stored in the taxi control center system and they can take the taxi to this stored address with the respective stored characteristics such as "Taxi with credit card" at the push of a button. can order. At the same time as the introduction of radio data transmission, ordering via the internet order mask and later via smartphone became widespread.
Taxi apps
With the increasing number of smartphones, there are now taxi apps that allow you to order a taxi automatically without a phone call.
These include pure app providers who no longer offer any other ordering option - for example via a call center - and are in competition with radio control centers with conventional taxi radio.
Common pan-European providers are "taxi.eu" (40,000 vehicles) and "myTaxi" (7,000 vehicles).
Situation in Germany
Radio taxi networks in Germany are operated by the regional taxi centers, which are mostly organized as cooperatives , and are financed by taxi drivers either through cooperative contributions or fees.
Frequency allocation
The frequencies are allocated in Germany in accordance with the administrative regulation for non-public mobile land radio services (VVnömL) at the request of the operator by the Federal Network Agency . The awards are limited to 10 years and are subject to a fee.
Allocation Conditions
The operator must belong to a certain group of users, these are for the taxi radio:
- Holders of a passenger transport permit for taxis or rental cars
- Associations of persons if at least one member holds a permit for the transport of persons
- Operator of cars for passenger transport on behalf of a school authority or for disabled people to and from care facilities
In the first two cases, the use of the vehicle for commercial passenger transport must also be entered in the vehicle registration document of all vehicles used as an additional condition.
Frequency ranges
The following frequency ranges are available for allocation for taxi radio in Germany:
- Frequency band 146–174 MHz: 9 frequency allocation areas with 9 frequencies each = 81 channels
- Frequency band 440–470 MHz: 9 frequency allocation areas with 3 frequencies each = 15 channels
In addition, a nationwide emergency call frequency is available in the frequency range 146 - 174 MHz, which may not be used for normal business communication.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Jörg Wirtgen: More smartphones than PCs, tablets and notebooks sold together. heise online , February 5, 2012, accessed on March 19, 2012 .
- ↑ Uwe Reimann: New taxi app causes trouble. RP online , February 14, 2012, accessed March 19, 2012 .
- ↑ MyTaxi, Taxi.eu & Co .: Useful taxi apps for smartphones. Focus , March 2, 2012, accessed March 12, 2012 .
- ↑ MyTaxi taxi app is expanding abroad. heise online, January 23, 2012, accessed on March 27, 2012 .
- ↑ Administrative ordinance for the non-public mobile land radio service, p. 13 (PDF; 742 kB)
- ↑ Administrative ordinance for the non-public mobile land radio service, p. 30 (PDF; 742 kB)
- ^ Administrative regulations for frequency assignments in non-public mobile land radio (VVnömL), p. 30, Federal Network Agency
- ↑ Administrative ordinance for the non-public mobile land radio service, pp. 30-32 (PDF; 742 kB)