Mobile Application Design Research to Improve Quality of Work for Taxi Drivers
Abstract
The steadily growing popularity of instant ride hailing services like Uber and Lyft have suffocated the transportation industry’s marketplace, and is creating declining working conditions for taxi drivers. After six driver suicides in one year, New York and other states have started to take steps towards equalizing the market, but legislation can be slow acting. Through research of application design, user interface and experience, and an examination of the transportation ecosystem, the mobile application “Xi” (short for Taxi) provides a quicker solution for drivers who are suffering right now by giving them a platform through which they can easily be connected with consumers seeking rides. In the app, riders will not only be able to request rides but also access a directory of nearby taxi companies, read reviews of those companies and their individual drivers, and save their favorite drivers so they can later request that specific driver—a feature that Uber and Lyft lack. Xi will give drivers all the great features that instant ride hailing apps have while keeping their traditional business models intact. Riders will be incentivized to choose to ride with taxis more often by the added safety in knowing you are being driven by someone who is up to par with state regulations as opposed to an Uber which is much more loosely monitored, no threat of surcharges for busy hours, and the value of years of experience and knowledge about the area that many taxi drivers have in spades over drivers who work for instant ride apps. Simultaneously, riders will also now have all the great features of other ride hailing apps like an automatic price estimate, quick requests, and an estimate of when your driver will arrive.
Mobile Application Design Research to Improve Quality of Work for Taxi Drivers
The steadily growing popularity of instant ride hailing services like Uber and Lyft have suffocated the transportation industry’s marketplace, and is creating declining working conditions for taxi drivers. After six driver suicides in one year, New York and other states have started to take steps towards equalizing the market, but legislation can be slow acting. Through research of application design, user interface and experience, and an examination of the transportation ecosystem, the mobile application “Xi” (short for Taxi) provides a quicker solution for drivers who are suffering right now by giving them a platform through which they can easily be connected with consumers seeking rides. In the app, riders will not only be able to request rides but also access a directory of nearby taxi companies, read reviews of those companies and their individual drivers, and save their favorite drivers so they can later request that specific driver—a feature that Uber and Lyft lack. Xi will give drivers all the great features that instant ride hailing apps have while keeping their traditional business models intact. Riders will be incentivized to choose to ride with taxis more often by the added safety in knowing you are being driven by someone who is up to par with state regulations as opposed to an Uber which is much more loosely monitored, no threat of surcharges for busy hours, and the value of years of experience and knowledge about the area that many taxi drivers have in spades over drivers who work for instant ride apps. Simultaneously, riders will also now have all the great features of other ride hailing apps like an automatic price estimate, quick requests, and an estimate of when your driver will arrive.