SUMMARY OF ORGANIZATION AND ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW OF 2 PRIVATELY OWNED, SHARED-RIDE TAXICAB SYSTEMS

Steadily decreasing ridership on traditional urban transportation modes has prompted concern about urban transportation systems. This paper deals with 1 level of such a system-privately owned, shared-ride, demand- responsive services. The intention of this paper is to provide an introduction to some of the basic characteristics and concepts of taxicab service in urban areas. It has been written primarily for the use of those who are generally uninitiated in the subject area but who are nevertheless interested in alternative methods of providing urban public transportation service. The paper serves as a starting point for more detailed study of taxicab systems and services, and it serves to develop an awareness of the operating environments and functional structure that have proved fundamental to the success of any organization. Thus it follows that the way in which a privately owned, demand-responsive taxicab system organizes itself, provides itself with the necessary personnel, equipment, facilities, and services, and formulates and follows an operating strategy will be the fundamental factor in making the system a workable enterprise. This paper, then, examines the functional structures of taxicab systems, the requirements and characteristics of the people who operate them, the regulatory environments in which the systems operate, and the various pricing strategies that the systems may follow.