Taxi Sector Research Articles

Financial Literacy and Electronic Money Empower Online Drivers' Impact Globally

This study investigates how financial literacy, self-control, and electronic money influence the lifestyle of online motorcycle taxi drivers in Sidoarjo, using quantitative methods and a sample size of 96 respondents. Through questionnaires and data analysis including validity tests, reliability tests, multiple linear regression analysis, and t-tests using SPSS version 26, the research finds a significant positive impact of these factors on drivers' lifestyles. The findings underscore the importance of promoting financial literacy and self-control among drivers, with implications for industry stakeholders and policymakers aiming to enhance driver well-being and sustainability in the online motorcycle taxi sector. Highlight: Financial literacy and self-control impact drivers' lifestyles significantly. Electronic money improves efficiency and security in financial transactions. Promoting literacy and control sustains well-being and industry growth. Keyword: Financial Literacy, Self-Control, Electronic Money, Online Motorcycle Taxi Drivers, Sidoarjo

The impacts of ridesourcing services on the taxi market: Empirical evidence from England and Wales

Ridesourcing services have emerged as a major competitor and potential substitute for traditional taxi services. However, research investigating the effects of ridesourcing on the taxi market remains limited, with a focus on specific geographies. This empirical study aims to fill this research gap by examining the impacts of ridesourcing on the taxi market in England and Wales. Using biennial Taxi and Private Hire Vehicle (PHV) Statistics data from the Department for Transport spanning 2005 to 2019, we investigate the impacts of ridesourcing on the number of Hackney Carriages (HCs) and PHVs, as well as the employment patterns in the taxi sector. Our findings indicate a gradual decline in the number of HCs following the introduction of ridesourcing. In contrast, the number of PHVs, which are restricted to pre-bookings, gradually increased. However, we observed no statistically significant change in the number of taxi drivers on average. Notably, our analysis reveals heterogeneous effects across different areas, including rural, urban, and metropolitan districts. Furthermore, we explore the role of regulatory environments in the evolution of ridesourcing and traditional taxi services. Our study highlights that regulation change allowing PHVs to operate across borders may lead to a dramatic increase in the number of PHVs and taxi drivers in specific local authorities. Our research has important implications for policymakers and transportation authorities, particularly in terms of maintaining a competitive taxi market. Furthermore, our findings can inform authorities when planning environmentally sustainable mobility services through the implementation of appropriate regulatory frameworks.

The impact of taxi drivers’ characteristics on the propensity to do business: Case study from a sharing economy

This paper aims to quantify the impact of selected demographic, financial, and economic factors on the propensity to do business in the taxi sector of the sharing economy. The sample comprised 375 taxi drivers from the Czech Republic and Slovak Republic. Data were collected using the query method via a questionnaire in April 2022. The structure of the respondents is divided into shared taxi service providers (N = 294) and traditional taxi service providers (N = 69). The study selected 14 factors: demographic (4), financial (7), and economic (3). The SEM approach was applied to evaluate the hypotheses. Shared taxi providers have a stronger propensity to do business than traditional taxi drivers. Demographic characteristics of a traditional taxi driver are the most significant factors with a strong influence on the propensity to do business (βS = 0.525 > βT = 0.425). On the other hand, the financial and economic characteristics of shared taxi drivers strongly influence the propensity to do business (βT = 0.565 > βS = 0.212). The characteristics of the enterprise are on the verge of significance in relation to the tendency to do business with shared taxi drivers, as opposed to traditional taxi drivers. For traditional taxi drivers, there is a strong influence of the characteristics of the enterprise on the propensity to do business (βT = 0.476 > βS = 0.026). This study contributes to understanding how participating in sharing economy may stimulate the propensity to do business.

A Decision Support System for Taxi Drivers

The taxi sector is being revolutionized worldwide due to innovative companies, such as Uber, Lyft and more, that are trying to acquire a share of the market. In the same context, contemporary businesses in Greece have started to expand their activities. This present research is subsumed into the concept of innovation in the conventional taxi sector in Greece and attempts to implement pioneering ideas, to offer better services for taxi customers and profitable financial circumstances for taxi owners and drivers. The main data source regarding the taxi trips are the Hellenic Institute of Transport and Taxiway, the largest taxi fleet management company that operates in Thessaloniki. The given data consisted of 170 taxi trips originating from a taxi stand in the city center, 1981 routes which began from the area around the taxi stand and 1832 trips of taxis that passed through the examined area near the stand. These data, in accordance with a financial analysis of taxis’ operational costs, have been processed to produce statistical results, such as the mean waiting time in each stand or possible spots for a taxi to pick up a customer. The research relies on these data, for the sake of building an application in which taxi drivers would be advised on their dilemma of choosing between waiting in taxi stands or hailing in the surrounding area to find a customer. With the utilization of such a website, drivers can compare the predicted benefit values for hailing or standing alternatives aiming to optimize the taxi downtime. The analysis concluded that the system can potentially increase the average expected profit per trip, even by 50% in a comparison to a different decision taken by the taxi driver.

COVID-19 and the Motorcycle Taxi Sector in Sub-Saharan African Cities: A Key Stakeholders' Perspective.

This article assesses the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on the urban motorcycle taxi (MCT) sector in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). MCT operators in SSA provide essential transport services and have shown ingenuity and an ability to adapt and innovate when responding to different challenges, including health challenges. However, policymakers and regulators often remain somewhat hostile toward the sector. The article discusses the measures and restrictions put in place to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and key stakeholders' perspectives on these and on the sector's level of compliance. Primary data were collected in six SSA countries during the last quarter of 2020. Between 10 and 15 qualitative interviews with key stakeholders relevant to the urban MCT sector were conducted in each country. These interviews were conducted with stakeholders based in the capital city and a secondary city, to ensure a geographically broader understanding of the measures, restrictions, and perspectives. The impact of COVID-19 measures on the MCT and motor-tricycle taxi sector was significant and overwhelmingly negative. Lockdowns, restrictions on the maximum number of passengers allowed to be carried at once, and more generally, a COVID-19-induced reduction in demand, resulted in a drop in income for operators, according to the key stakeholders. However, some key stakeholders indicated an increase in MCT activity and income because of the motorcycles' ability to bypass police and army controls. In most study countries measures were formulated in a non-consultative manner. This, we argue, is symptomatic of governments' unwillingness to seriously engage with the sector.

Motorcycle Taxis, Extended Lockdown and Inequality at Work in Kampala, Uganda

After two years of extended lockdown, Kampala’s vast workforce of motorcycle taxi riders today looks a little different. Though the sector has long constituted a vital source of labour and income for many thousands of urban residents cut off from more decent opportunities elsewhere in the economy, a recent combination of lockdown pressures and digital transitions has created new forms of dependency upon the sector whilst simultaneously stripping some old ones away. In this article, we draw on in-depth qualitative data from interviews with riders, carried out at different stages of the pandemic, to show how the composition of labour within the sector has been reworked by a series of ‘selective exits’ and ‘substitution effects’ over the past two years. In exploring the nature and nuances of these parallel movements, our analysis not only reveals considerable socio-economic unevenness within the city’s motorcycle taxi sector itself but also sheds light on a new, broader configuration of urban inequality in the making.

Paratransit minibus taxi transport services in Addis Ababa

ABSTRACT Public transport service in Addis Ababa is provided by both public and private operators. However, the inability of the public sector to meet the increasing transport demand has given rise to the emergence of privately owned paratransit transport services. The minibus taxi sector is the dominant public transport mode which provides a means of mobility for the majority of the city’s residents. However, the service provided by the sector is still far from being efficient and has a lot of operational constraints. But, various attempts have been made by the city’s transport authority to improve service provision in the city. Thus, to carry out this study, both primary and secondary data were used. Instruments like questionnaires, interviews, as well as observation were intensively employed. Finally, the Arada sub-city was selected purposively to execute the study as it is the hub for 9 taxi terminals with 25 routes radiating into several directions of the city. A total of 50 minibus taxi drivers were selected using the convenience sampling method. Results of the study revealed that the presence of complex owner-driver relations, customary operational practices, and poor institutional organization of owners’ associations as well as inefficient regulation creates unpleasant work situations and hence profoundly affected service delivery. In addition, the study found that all of these situations are threatening the sustainability of the sector as most vehicle owners have less interest in staying in the business.

STUDY ON INDIVIDUAL'S PREFERENCE ABOUT ONLINE CAB BOOKING SERVICES

India is a country in the process of evolving., and it has been discovered that as a result of this development, In India, the need for taxi services is growing.. The introduction of an organised car rental system using modern technologies has ushered in a transformation in the taxi sector during the last decade. The 'app cab booking' sector grew as a result of this. The taxi industry is quite modern today, customers a variety of advantages in terms of convenience, travel time, real-time information, economy, and consumer protection. Cab e-hailing is currently common in large cities, and it offers customers a higher level of service than most traditional taxi services. With the use of a standardised questionnaire, data was obtained from 275 respondents for this article. The purpose of this article is to look at the various challenges that customers confront while using the services of any company that offers app-based cab booking.

STUDY ON INDIVIDUAL'S PREFERENCE ABOUT ONLINE CAB BOOKING SERVICES

India is a country in the process of evolving., and it has been discovered that as a result of this development, In India, the need for taxi services is growing.. The introduction of an organised car rental system using modern technologies has ushered in a transformation in the taxi sector during the last decade. The 'app cab booking' sector grew as a result of this. The taxi industry is quite modern today, customers a variety of advantages in terms of convenience, travel time, real-time information, economy, and consumer protection. Cab e-hailing is currently common in large cities, and it offers customers a higher level of service than most traditional taxi services. With the use of a standardised questionnaire, data was obtained from 275 respondents for this article. The purpose of this article is to look at the various challenges that customers confront while using the services of any company that offers app-based cab booking.

Covid-19 and Precarity in South Africa’s Minibus Taxi Industry

This article considers covid-19 and precarity in South Africa’s minibus taxi industry. Covid-19 and the resulting national lockdown interrupted the operations of the industry (like other businesses) in South Africa. During the lockdown (from level 5 to level 1), some taxi operators complained that the lockdown resulted in them losing profit. Taxi drivers also complained that they are making less money through taxi fares (noting that each day they give collected fares to taxi owners and keep some of the money for petrol). The labour inspectors of the Department of Employment and Labour (DOEL) continue to find it difficult to exercise their role of inspecting working conditions in the industry. Despite the fact that the DOEL issued a Sectoral Determination for the taxi industry (Basic Condition of Employment Act 95 of 1997, Sectoral Determination 11: Taxi Sector 2005), which specifies basic employment conditions, the industry is still predominantly informal and employees have no job protection. Taxi drivers remain exempt from job-related benefits such as the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF), which makes it impossible for them to benefit during difficult times such as Covid-19 and unemployment. Therefore, the virus and the lockdown revealed further the precariousness of taxi drivers and the concerns around making profit by taxi owners.

TInnGo: Transport Innovative Gender Observatory. Spanish hub. Taxi case study

It is well - known that women are generally under-represented in some technical fields, as it is the specific case of the transport sector. This lack of balance gender-wise is even more visible in the taxi industry, leading to a gender gap that should be filled in the next years. Flexibility, loyal customer network and friendly environment are some of the opportunities that make this job appealing for all the population segments. However, entry barriers like the initial investment, misunderstandings between colleagues at the beginning and shortage of communication skills prevent access to this sector by certain population categories.In the present study, an exhaustive analysis of the situation of the Spanish taxi sector is presented and analyzed. Based on real interviews to female taxi drivers, the main opportunities, and entry barriers and obstacles of working in this field are collected and used to assess how the transport sector fits the key needs of the interviewees and favor the work-life balance. The evolution of the taxi sector from a gender point of view has been also considered and explained through real lived experiences. All data regarding the city and participants to the case study are kept anonymous.This analysis is done in the framework of the European project TInnGO which main objective is to create a framework and mechanisms for a sustainable game change in European transport through a transformative strategy of gender and diversity sensitive smart mobility.

The collaborative economy and taxi services: Moving towards new business models in Spain

The collaborative economy brings new business models through digital platforms which compete with services that have traditionally been highly regulated. This is the case of the taxi sector. The new business models that have emerged in private passenger transport are mainly based on the customisation opportunities provided by big data, yet the traditional business model followed by the taxi sector is finding it difficult to adapt to these changes in order to remain competitive, as we can observe from a content analysis of news over the last year in Spain. In this paper, we analyse the need to raise these issues through a governance model in which all stakeholders can express their opinions, trying to achieve solutions based on consensus for real deregulation. In order to achieve this consensus, government will need to play a crucial role, despite the fact that it has recently transferred decision-making to regional and local governments.

Can Charging Infrastructure Used Only by Electric Taxis Be Profitable? A Case Study From Karlsruhe, Germany

Electric vehicles are a promising instrument for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and other local pollutants, such as nitrogen oxides. Especially the taxi sector is a promising field of application. First, their high driving distances are necessary for electric vehicles to economize against conventional vehicles. Second, taxis are operated predominantly in city centers, where the pressure to reduce local emissions is greatest. However, while the electrification potential of taxi fleets has gained great attention in literature, the question of whether charging infrastructure can be profitable if only used by taxis has not been answered yet. To answer this question, we analyze 161 taxis in Karlsruhe, Germany. We find that a high share of electric taxis would come at lower cost than their diesel counterparts. Thus, a 25–45% share of taxi driving could be electrified, if only the taxi user perspective would be taken into account. However, while ten charging sites would be necessary to do so, only one charging site could be refinanced through exclusive taxi use. Consequently, the electrification potential would fall to about 3%, if only this one profitable charging site was built. Yet, in the future, electric driving will become cheaper. In 2025, already 55% electrification potential would be possible, given that both electric driving and charging infrastructure operation would be profitable. Altogether, while currently taxi charging infrastructure would require public funding or other business models, in the medium to long term, an exclusive use by taxis would be sufficient.

Is LTFRB Uber-Reacting?

This paper elaborates on the economics of the taxi sector in the Philippines, and the impact of emerging competition such as Uber. It argues that a better understanding of the economics of the taxi industry could help inform regulators on whether and to what extent they should regulate Uber in order to promote the general welfare of the riding public. Uber offers alternatives and could actually be tempering behavior by unfair taxi operators by enhancing competition.

Understanding spatial variation in the driving pattern of carbon dioxide emissions from taxi sector in great Eastern China: evidence from an analysis of geographically weighted regression

Transport is a significant sector that contributes to the increasing carbon dioxide emissions in China. Most related studies have utilized global models to investigate the factors influencing transport sector carbon dioxide emissions from the provincial level to the national level. However, this approach cannot depict the spatial nonstationary characteristics of the influencing factors. Taking the taxi subsector in Eastern China as a case study, we employed exploratory spatial data analysis to examine the spatial heterogeneity of carbon dioxide emissions from taxis (CDET) at the city level and a local model (geographically weighted regression, GWR) to observe the spatial variation in the factors influencing emissions. The results showed that the spatial distribution of CDET was uneven across the study region; the provincial-level cities and metropolises had the highest level of carbon dioxide emissions. The variables gross domestic product (GDP), total population (TP) and urban built-up area (UBA) were among the most significant determinants of emissions. Moreover, using the GWR technique instead of conventional global models, we successfully detected variation in the relationships between emissions and factors at the city level. The GWR results revealed that the positive correlation between CDET and GDP was distributed throughout the study area in 2005 and 2014, but the value of the regression coefficient did not remain the same across the study area. Both positive and negative effects of TP and UBA on CDET were identified and mapped in both study years. Based on the results, we strongly recommend that differentiated mitigation measures be adopted to reduce CDET emissions for different cities according to the spatial variation in emissions and the factors that impact them.

Moving a Taxi Sector to Become Electric: Characterizing Taxi Drivers Interested in Purchasing a Full Electric Vehicle

Electrification of mobility exceeds personal transport to increasingly focus on particular segments such as city logistics and taxis. These commercial mobility segments have different motives to purchase a full electric vehicle and require a particular approach to incentivize and facilitate the transition towards electric mobility. A case where a municipality was successful in stimulating the transition to electric mobility is the taxi sector in the city of Amsterdam. Using results from a survey study (n = 300), this paper analyses the differences in characteristics between taxi drivers that either have or do not have interest in purchasing a full electric taxi vehicle. Results show a low intention across the sample to adopt a full electric vehicle and no statistically significant differences in demographics between the two groups. Differences were found between the level of acceptability of the covenant, the rated attractiveness of the incentives, the ratings of full electric vehicle attributes and the consultation of objective and social information sources. These results can be used by policy makers to develop new incentives that target specific topics currently influencing the interest in a full electric taxi vehicle.

The economic impact of Transportation Network companies on the traditional taxi Sector: An empirical study in Spain

Transportation Network Companies (TNCs), also referred to as ride-sharing or app-based on-demand ride services, have gained momentum. The phenomenon has created debate in the media and faced heated reactions from the traditional taxi sector. Yet surprisingly, the phenomenon is still under-researched in the specialized scholarly literature on transport systems. There is a lack of empirical evidence about the real impact of these systems on the traditional taxi sector. This article aims to fill this gap in the literature by analyzing empirically the impact of TNCs on the traditional taxi sector in Spain, a specific country-case where the phenomenon has been fiercely opposed. With this aim, a comparative analysis of the economic and financial situation of 416 traditional Spanish taxi companies is conducted. The findings show that the new competitors have had a significant negative impact on the profitability of the traditional taxi companies in Madrid and Barcelona, but have not affected other indicators and areas analyzed in the initial stage of TNCs. Implications for a set of stakeholders, including managers in the traditional sector, investors and policymakers, are discussed, together with potential avenues for further research.

Occupational Safety and the City: Licensing Regulation and Deregulation in the Taxi Sector

Many large cities in North America have jurisdiction over licensing rules that shape the employment and health conditions of ride-hail and taxi drivers. Yet there is a lack of research on the role of licensing agencies relating to the occupational health and safety (OHS) of taxi drivers. Most taxi and ride-hail drivers in Canada are self-employed workers and are, by default, exempt from OHS and worker compensation laws. Additionally, municipal licensing regimes in Canada and the US have undergone various changes as a result of pressures from new platform-based ride-hail services, like Uber and Lyft.The analysis is part of a larger study on the health and safety conditions faced by ride-hail drivers. The research approach adopted a multi-level sampling and analysis strategy with the aim of connecting taxi drivers’ everyday work experiences to company and sector practices, and with various regulatory arenas, including municipal licensing, taxation and car insurance. In this paper, the analysis draws from in-depth interviews at these different levels: with taxi and ride-hail drivers, with taxi and ride-hail managers, and with key informants in government, law, insurance, tax and elsewhere.The paper identifies features and impacts of municipal deregulation in the era of on-demand taxi services, focusing on a large Canadian city in a province where municipal authorities regulate the vehicle-for-hire sector. The research identified regulatory changes that included removing centralized taxi vehicle inspections, cancelling mandatory driver training, and instigating rapid changes to competition in the taxi workforce by issuing unlimited numbers of ride-hail licenses. Our analysis indicates that regulatory changes adopted by the city administration have compounded work vulnerabilities and hazards for taxi drivers, while extending hazardous conditions to ride-hail drivers. These hazards suggest the need for interventions at a range of levels, actors and agencies, rather than solely by city licensing officials.

Modeling framework for supporting taxi policy making

Taxi services account for a significant part of the daily trips in most cities around the world. These services are regulated by a central authority, which usually monitors the performance of the taxi services provision and defines the policies applied to the taxi sector. In order to support policy makers, fleet managers and individual taxi drivers, there is a need for developing models to understand the behavior of these markets. Most of the models developed for analyzing the taxi market are based on econometric measurements and do not account for the spatial distribution of both taxi demand and supply. Only few simulation models are able to better understand the operational characteristics of the taxi market. This paper presents a framework for the development of taxi models both aggregated and simulation-based. It is aimed at assessing policy makers, taxi fleet managers and individual drivers in the definition of the optimum operation mode and the number of vehicles.

Modeling framework for supporting taxi policy making

Taxi services account for a significant part of the daily trips in most cities around the world. These services are regulated by a central authority, which usually monitors the performance of the taxi services provision and defines the policies applied to the taxi sector. In order to support policy makers, fleet managers and individual taxi drivers, there is a need for developing models to understand the behavior of these markets. Most of the models developed for analyzing the taxi market are based on econometric measurements and do not account for the spatial distribution of both taxi demand and supply. Only few simulation models are able to better understand the operational characteristics of the taxi market. This paper presents a framework for the development of taxi models both aggregated and simulation-based. It is aimed at assessing policy makers, taxi fleet managers and individual drivers in the definition of the optimum operation mode and the number of vehicles.