Now here's a pretty thoughtful and intelligent use for vehicle GPS tracking. One of those, "Wow, why didn't I think of that" ideas:
http://www.trafficmaster.co.uk/shownews.cfm?num=375
Basically, an insurance company is going to charge for auto insurance by use. Makes sense when you stop to think about it. If a driver happens to use his vehicle very little, he or she pays an extraordinarily high cost per mile driven for insurance. If our example is is very high mileage driver, he or she is getting a bargain per mile and the insurance company is far more exposed.
Stick an unobtrusive tracker on the vehicle and the insurer can charge exactly the amount that is fair to both customer and client. They don't mention it in the press release, but th opportunity for performance monitoring is certainly there ... detecting excessive speed and other high risk behaviors.
Too much like big brother? For some, perhaps, but the alternative is everyone paying too much (to cover unknown eventualities) for a service which ought to be easily measurable and billable.
Oh, an yes, perhaps save a few lives too.
05 October 2005
03 October 2005
Cabbies protest proposal to install GPS in vehicles
Well, here we go again with more drivers who are used to running amok and acting like they have a license to steal from management whining, complaining and protesting about a system that actually could help them stay safer and earn more money. read the Newsday article here:
http://tinyurl.com/comb9
Basically the New York Taxi Commission, sick of the complaints from drivers "taking the long way 'round", congregating in parts of the city so there are no cabs in others and in general being the but of jokes and war stories world-wide has decided to discuss having new cabs equipped with GPS.
The drivers, somewhat understandably, don't want to hear about it, because they have been left to run their cabs any which way they want to since the days the cabs were horse drawn.
Not only would modern technology eliminate arguments of abuse ... thereby protecting the driver for false accusations just as much as protecting the traveling public from rip offs, but it's a proven fact that GPS-dispatched cabs have a higher load factor .. and drivers only make money when the flag is down and they are carrying fares.
The costs quoted in the article are absolutely bogus .. it's disappointing to me that every reporter in the 20 or 30 repetitions of this article has just repeated them as if they were fact ... a decent system, per cab could be had for $5 or $600 with costs for dispatch, control and safety messages on the order of a dollar per shift. Sometimes I wonder if the 21st century will ever get here.
http://tinyurl.com/comb9
Basically the New York Taxi Commission, sick of the complaints from drivers "taking the long way 'round", congregating in parts of the city so there are no cabs in others and in general being the but of jokes and war stories world-wide has decided to discuss having new cabs equipped with GPS.
The drivers, somewhat understandably, don't want to hear about it, because they have been left to run their cabs any which way they want to since the days the cabs were horse drawn.
Not only would modern technology eliminate arguments of abuse ... thereby protecting the driver for false accusations just as much as protecting the traveling public from rip offs, but it's a proven fact that GPS-dispatched cabs have a higher load factor .. and drivers only make money when the flag is down and they are carrying fares.
The costs quoted in the article are absolutely bogus .. it's disappointing to me that every reporter in the 20 or 30 repetitions of this article has just repeated them as if they were fact ... a decent system, per cab could be had for $5 or $600 with costs for dispatch, control and safety messages on the order of a dollar per shift. Sometimes I wonder if the 21st century will ever get here.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)