Our Technology over the years

The Early Years

When Premier Cars And Couriers first opened, technology was very basic, as was standard throughout the mini cab industry. we operated with a radio controlled system which consisted of a hand held radio in each drivers car, with whom we were able to commuicate with from our office. Our bookings were jotted down in a huge A4 sized diary with columns for date, time, pick up address, destination address, customer name, customer phone number and driver number. Very basic. A job will come in and it would be down to the controller to start calling out on the radio "Anyone in Islington? Anyone empty in Islington?" Cue 7 or 8 drivers all scrabbling to radio through to us their various positions and/or times to clear to get to that next pick up. Imagine doing this for a hundred times a night!

We had a standard mini cab industry price list, based on mileage, with set prices to each area.

We went computerised in ( to be added ) and invested heavily in the latest data despatch, global positioning tracking systems (GPS), and ISDN telephony systems. Below is a brief description of the technology.

ISDN Telephony System

When customers called us for the first time our computer system picked up their telephone number and logged it as a new customer. The next time a customer called the computer recovered all the data stored the first time they called, such as name, address & special comments. Customer confidences grew, as we knew who and where customers were. We developed a policy to call customers out if they request, when their drivers arrived. Overall we were able to take many more calls reducing waiting times, and providing a better and more honest service.

Data Despatch

Data despatch, is a pager style technology. All customer details were sent encrypted through our radio system and deciphered by the data head in the vehicle. This reduced the need to constantly communicate via the radio, which in most cases could have given the customer an uncomfortable ride as well as a headache. We were able to despatch hundreds of jobs per hour in a stress free environment, containing special instructions given by our customers. A good safety aspect was that we had the customer name displayed on the data screen as well as their destination, so customers should not have been getting into unlicenced mini-cabs.

Global Positioning Tracking Systems (GPS)

With this technology we were able to track all vehicles that were working at any one time. The system plots their position and speed through a satellite link, and using a digital mapping system, our control centre was able to offer guidance if needed. When we took on a new booking, the computer was able to tell us which driver was the closest and offer an estimated pick up for the customer, ensuring that we remained efficient and honest.

Pricing

The pricing structure developed to enable us to give fairly accurate prices which were based on street to street, not just postcode to postcode or area to area as it had been done previously.

In 2005 we traded in our Data Despatch devices and upgraded to Xdas. The "X" represents convergence of voice and information/data within one product; the "da" stands for "digital assistant", as in PDA. Each driver now had a hand held XDA with the latest satellite, global tracking technology and satellite navigation. This again improved our service, making the old A-Zs defunct and ensuring that every driver could quite capably take our customers to every destination. In 2007 we replaced the Xdas with touch screen Pdas.

The Future

In 2010 Premier Cars And Couriers made a huge jump and invested in a completely new Taxi Despatch system, cPAQ.

cPAQ is a modern Taxi despatch system that uses the latest technology in wireless communication (GPRS, GPS, Bluetooth). It is specifically designed to provide the taxi and limousine industries with an automatic, rapid and cost effective means of transferring the customer's request from the operator to the most appropriate vehicle. Features included are:

Easy to use units in the vehicles with touch screen and colour graphic display Vehicle location using Satellite Global Positioning System (GPS) Fully integrated in-vehicle voice guided navigation system Nationwide radio coverage The most reliable and intelligent booking and GPS based automatic and manual Despatch system on the market Vehicle tracking (both Live and Historical) Built in maps for Manual Despatch, route estimation, and pricing Credit card Authorisation and Processing - directly on-line Support for running multiple fleets from a single office Voice recording Automatic Route optimisation for Multi-via Jobs Automatic tracking and management of Street Jobs On-line direct Job booking using Internet based Web-Booking Wireless Job booking using portable Mobile Booking units Intelligent Over-booking warning and prediction Built-in nationwide address database which includes Pubs, Restaurants and commercial premises First class customer care and back-up package

What Does This Mean For Our Customers?

We believe our customers will see a huge improvement in the service they receive and that this service will greatly benefit the customer. How? Firstly, there will be four ways to book a journey with us,

Web Booker

Many corporate and private customers have access to the Internet. cPAQ Web Booking system is an ideal way of letting your Customers book their Taxis remotely. cPAQ Web Booking software lets your customers book Jobs directly into the system, specifying where and when they wish to be picked up, where they are going, and details such as the payment method or vehicle type. They can also query the Jobs they have already booked and even track their Taxis on a live map.

Mobile Booker

cPAQ Mobile Booker is unique to Cordic. It is the only Pocket PC based fully portable remote Booking system on the market. The Mobile Booker, together with its portable wireless printer, allows one of your employees located at a Station, for example, or an Airport, Nightclub or Exhibition Centre, to book Jobs directly onto your system. Your employee enters the Passenger's name and their destination. If required they can also choose the Vehicle type and give a quotation. After booking the Job the Mobile Booker automatically prints a ticket for the Passenger which details the particulars of the Job. The passenger hands this ticket to the Driver when they get into their Taxi.

Auto Booker

For customers who prefer a telephone based automated booking service, cPAQ Auto Booker is the ideal solution. Your account customers can be setup with their own username and PIN and a set of default pick-up addresses. When your customers call the special automated booking line, they are talked through a few simple steps for creating a booking directly onto your system. cPAQ Auto Booker can also be configured to work as an optional overflow Operator. At busy times, the customers that the system recognises as "repeat callers" can automatically be given the opportunity to use the Automated booking system rather than wait for an actual Operator.

Return Bookings

cPAQ allows the Driver to book a return trip for the customer using his Pocket PC. This can be done while the passenger is in the mini cab, or after the Job is completed. All the Driver has to do is to enter the pick-up time for the return trip - cPAQ takes care of the rest

Jobs will be despatched to drivers in a queue. When a Job is booked, it is assigned to a Queue according to its pick-up location and then offered to the first Driver in that Queue.

As the Operator is booking the Job, cPAQ uses its built-in route calculation to work out the distance of the trip and how long it will last. Then cPAQ performs an intelligent prediction using the current Drivers' availability and the actual Jobs in the system, and taking any special vehicle properties into account. It uses this information to calculate when a mini cab will be available and whether there's a danger of over-booking. cPAQ gives the Operator an immediate display of the trip distance and mini cab availability - bringing up a warning if the pick-up time can't be met. This means the Operator can tell your customers exactly when their taxi should arrive - based on facts not guesswork. Once the Driver has accepted the Job, cPAQ continually tracks the mini cab's location and automatically updates and displays the actual Estimated Time of Arrival to the Operator - this will give you an even more accurate picture. This will ensure the most accurate pick up time by the closest driver geographically, thus reducing carbon emmissions.

Of course, sometimes mini cabs are held up and can't get to the pick-up in time. That's when you get the worried phone call from the customer, asking the question "Where's my cab ?" Because cPAQ allows you to accurately track where vehicles are, your Operators can give an accurate answer to this question. Every call taking station is equipped with a map showing where the mini cab is right now, and also showing the pick-up location and the current ETA.

For customers who wish to be notified when their mini cab has arrived, cPAQ will automatically give them three rings on their phone or mobile when the Driver arrives outside the pick-up. cPAQ also tells the Driver that he is on a "Ring-Back" Job and tells him when the customer has been called.

Automatic Price Calculation

With its built-in map-based routing engine, cPAQ can automatically price Jobs based on the trip distance (from the pick-up, to the destination, including any vias). Alternatively, for out-of-area trips, pricing can be based on the round-trip distance (Base to pick-up, to the destination, including any vias, and back to Base). This will be the most accurating pricing structure to date. premier cars and couriers - technology

Credit card Jobs can also be processed online from the mini cab - the Driver can even get the passenger to sign on the touch screen of the Pocket PC.