AU2012100797A4

AU2012100797A4 - Location-based Personal Transport Vehicle Booking System

Info

Publication number: AU2012100797A4
Application number: AU2012100797A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Daniel Rombouts
Original assignee: GET PICKED UP Pty Ltd
Current assignee: GET PICKED UP Pty Ltd
Priority date: 2011-05-30
Filing date: 2012-05-29
Publication date: 2012-06-28
Anticipated expiration: 2020-05-29

Abstract

This disclosure concerns personal transport vehicle booking and particularly, a location-based personal transport vehicle booking system. A server is operable to collect location information from multiple electronic devices operated by a personal transport driver, and store the location information on the server; based on the location information and a user's booking request from a pickup location to a destination location, determine one or more personal transport drivers in a vicinity of the pickup location; send an invitation to submit a fixed fare quotation for the booking request to the one or more drivers; receive one or more quotations submitted by the drivers, and send the received quotations to the user via the user's electronic device; and upon receiving the user's selection, send a confirmation message to the driver to confirm the booking. Other aspects include computer-implemented methods, electronic devices and computer programs for personal transport vehicle booking. Software 100 Application 110 User Device User Software Application 144 e 112, Processing Unit 0000 N" ~Internet D ) 130 User Device User 120 Base Station 12,1 aaStr User Information Software Driver 124, Application 150 Driver Information 154 1 126, 0C= Account Information Driver Device 152 Personal Transport Vehicle Fig. 1

Description

AUSTRALIA Patents Act 1990 GET PICKED UP PTY LTD COMPLETE SPECIFICATION INNOVATION PATENT Invention Title. Location-based Personal Transport Vehicle Booking System The invention is described in the following statement: 2 Location-based Personal Transport Vehicle Booking System Technical Field This disclosure generally concerns personal transport vehicle booking and more 5 particularly, a location-based personal transport vehicle booking system. Other aspects include computer-implemented methods, electronic devices and computer programs for personal transport vehicle booking. Background 10 A personal transport vehicle, such as a private hire vehicle, is different from a licensed taxi or public service vehicle such as a bus. For example, in the state of New South Wales, a private hire vehicle must be pre-booked prior to a journey, and the driver must not ply, stand or park the vehicle for hire on any road or road related area according to the Passenger Transport Act 1990. Existing avenues for booking a private hire vehicle 15 generally involve a passenger searching for a private hire vehicle service and making a booking on the phone or using a website, but however, this assumes that the passenger has prior knowledge of the service. Summary 20 Server's Perspective According to a first aspect, there is provided for a computer system for location-based personal transport vehicle booking, comprising a server operable to: (a) collect location information from multiple positioning-enabled electronic 25 devices each operated by a personal transport vehicle driver, and store the location information in a data store accessible by the server; (b) based on the collected location information and a user's booking request for a personal transport vehicle from a pickup location to a destination location, determine one or more personal transport vehicle drivers in a vicinity of the pickup location; 30 (c) send an invitation to submit a fixed fare quotation for the booking request to the one or more determined drivers; (d) receive one or more fixed fare quotations submitted by the one or more determined drivers, and send the received quotations to the user for presentation on a display and selection via the user's positioning-enabled electronic device; and 3 (e) upon receiving the user's selection of a fixed fare quotation, send a confirmation message to the driver who submitted the selected fixed fare quotation to confirm the booking at the fixed fare. 5 The system may be used for booking a number of personal transport services. In this case, the server may be further operable to receive the user's selection of a personal transport vehicle service and to determine the one or more drivers in step (b) based on the received user's selection. For example, the user's selection may one of the following: private hire car service, private hire bus service and private driver service. 10 Using the system, users are able to pre-book a personal transport vehicle driver and pre agree on a fixed fare with the driver before the hiring starts. For example, according to the Passenger Transport Act 1990 in the state of New South Wales, Australia, private hire vehicles can only be pre-booked at a fixed fare before the hiring starts. Further, 15 since only drivers in a vicinity of the pickup location are invited to submit a fixed fare quotation, lengthy delays in getting to the pickup location may be avoided. Advantageously, drivers are able to reach out to new users, and users are able to select their preferred driver based on their fixed fare quotation. 20 The server may be further operable to send, to the user, location information collected from the drivers who submitted the quotations for presentation on a map together with the quotations. Step (b) may comprise a multilevel search comprising an initial search for one or more 25 drivers within a first vicinity from the pickup location; and an extended search to a larger vicinity if insufficient number of drivers are located; the first vicinity and larger vicinity being each associated with an area within a predetermined distance from the pickup location 30 The server may be further operable to: collect availability information of the drivers from the electronic devices and storing the availability information in a data store accessible by the server, and perform step (b) based on the availability information such that an invitation is only sent to drivers who are available to take the booking. 35 4 The server may be further operable to collect location information from the driver who submitted the selected quotation, and send the collected information to the user for tracking the driver en route to the pickup location after step (d). 5 The determination of the drivers in step (b) may be based on one or more booking criteria included the booking request. For example, the one or more booking criteria include one or more of the following: pickup time, amount of time for which the driver and/or the driver's vehicle is hired, payment method, driver rating, expected arrival time, and vehicle model. 10 The server may be further operable to: collect additional information from the driver who submitted the quotations, the additional information including one or more of each driver's: payment method offered, driver rating, expected arrival time, and vehicle model; and 15 send the additional information to the user for presentation on the display to facilitate the selection. The server may be further operable to receive the user's selection of a payment method offered by the driver and process payment of the fixed fare. 20 The server may be further operable to receive a rating from the user relating to their experience of the booking. According to a second aspect, there is provided a computer program comprising 25 computer-executable instructions to implement the server according to the first aspect. The computer program may be embodied in a computer-readable medium. According to a third aspect, there is provided a method for location-based personal transport vehicle booking, the method being performed by a server and comprising: 30 (a) collecting location information from multiple positioning-enabled electronic devices each operated by a personal transport vehicle driver and storing the location information in a data store accessible by the server; (b) based on the collected location information and a user's booking request for a personal transport vehicle from a pickup location to a destination location, determining 35 one or more personal transport vehicle drivers in a vicinity of the pickup location; 5 (c) sending an invitation to submit a fixed fare quotation for the booking request to the one or more determined drivers; (d) receiving one or more fixed fare quotations submitted by the one or more determined drivers, and send the received quotations to the user for presentation on a 5 display and selection; and (e) upon receiving the user's selection of a fixed fare quotation, sending a confirmation message to the driver who submitted the selected fixed fare quotation to confirm the booking at the fixed fare. 10 User's Perspective According to a fourth aspect, there is provided an electronic device for location-based personal transport vehicle booking, the electronic device being operated by a user of personal transport vehicle and comprising one or more processors operable to: (a) receive, from the user, a booking request for a personal transport vehicle from 15 a pickup location to a destination location; (b) determine personal transport vehicle drivers in a vicinity of the pickup location such that the drivers are invited to submit a fixed fare quotation for the booking request; (c) receive one or more fixed fare quotations submitted by the determined drivers, 20 and providing an interface for the user to select one of the fixed fare quotations; and (d) detect the user's selection of a fixed fare quotation such that a confirmation message is sent to the driver who submitted the selected quotation to confirm the booking at the fixed fare. 25 The one or more processors may be further operable to receive the user's selection of a personal transport vehicle service such that the one or more drivers are determined in step (b) based on the received user's selection. For example, the user's selection may one of the following: private hire car service, private hire bus service and private driver service. 30 In step (c), the one or more processors may be further operable to present the one or more fixed fare quotations on a map together with location information of the personal transport vehicle drivers who submitted the quotations.

6 The location information of the personal transport vehicle drivers may be retrieved from a server or data store that receives the location information from positioning enabled electronic devices operated by the drivers. 5 In step (b), the one or more processors may perform a multilevel search based on the pickup location and location information of the personal transport vehicle drivers, wherein the multilevel search comprises an initial search for one or more personal transport vehicle drivers within a first vicinity from the pickup location; and an extended search to a larger vicinity if insufficient number of drivers are located. 10 The one or more processors may perform step (b) based on availability information of the drivers such that an invitation is only sent to drivers who are available to take the booking. 15 The one or more data processors may be further operable to track the selected driver en route to the pickup location after step (d). The one or more processors may determine the drivers in step (b) based on one or more booking criteria included the booking request. For example, the one or more booking 20 criteria may include one or more of the following: pickup time, amount of time for which the driver and/or the driver's vehicle is hired, payment method, driver rating, expected arrival time, and vehicle model. The one or more data processors may be further operable to receive and present, on the 25 display in step (c), one or more of each driver's: payment method, driver rating, expected arrival time, and vehicle model. The one or more data processors may be further operable to receive the user's selection of a payment method and to process payment of the fixed fare. 30 The one or more data processors may be further operable to receive a rating from the user relating to their experience of the booking. The pickup and destination locations may be selected from a list of favourite locations, 35 popular locations or past bookings.

7 The one or more processors may be further operable to receive the user's selection of a personal transport vehicle service such that the one or more drivers are determined in step (b) based on the received user's selection. The user's selection may be one of the following: private hire car service, private hire bus service and private driver service. 5 According to a fifth aspect, there is provided a computer program comprising computer-executable instructions to implement the electronic device according to the first aspect. The computer program may be embodied in a computer-readable medium. 10 According to a sixth aspect, there is provided a method for location-based personal transport vehicle booking, the method being implemented by an electronic device and comprising: (a) receiving, from the user, a booking request for a personal transport vehicle from a pickup location to a destination location; 15 (b) determining personal transport vehicle drivers in a vicinity of the pickup location such that the drivers are invited to submit a fixed fare quotation for the booking request; (c) receiving one or more fixed fare quotations submitted by the determined drivers, and providing an interface for the user to select one of the fixed fare 20 quotations; and (d) detecting the user's selection of a fixed fare quotation such that a confirmation message is sent to the driver who submitted the selected quotation to confirm the booking at the fixed fare. 25 Driver's Perspective According to an ninth aspect, there is provided an electronic device for personal transport vehicle booking, the electronic device being operated by a personal transport vehicle driver and comprising one or more processors operable to: (a) collect and send location information of the driver to a server in 30 communication with the electronic device, wherein the location information is used to determine whether the personal transport vehicle driver is in a vicinity of a pickup location of a user's booking request and if the determination is in the affirmative, to receive an invitation to submit a fixed fare quotation for the booking request; and 8 (b) upon receiving the invitation, provide an interface for the driver to submit a fixed fare quotation for the booking request, and if the fixed fare quotation is selected by the user, receive a confirmation message to confirm the booking at the fixed fare. 5 The one or more processors may be further operable to collect availability information of the driver, and send the availability information to the server such that the invitation is received only when the driver is available. The one or more processors may be further operable to send location information of the 10 driver to an electronic device operated by the user to allow tracking of the driver en route to the pickup location after step (b). The one or more processors are further operable to determine the fixed fare quotation submitted by the driver. In this case, the fixed fare quotation may be determined based 15 on one or more of the following: distance between the pickup and destination locations; amount of time for which the driver and/or the driver's vehicle are hired, expected journey time between the pickup and destination locations; day of the booking request and time of day; 20 traffic conditions between the pickup and destination locations; and distance between a current location of the driver and the pickup location. The determination in (a) may be based on the user's selection of a personal transport vehicle service. For example, the user's selection may be one of the following: private 25 hire car service, private hire bus service and private driver service. According to a tenth aspect, there is provided a computer program comprising computer-executable instructions to implement the electronic device according to the ninth aspect. The computer program may be embodied in a computer-readable 30 medium. According to a further aspect, there is provided a method for location-based personal transport vehicle booking, the method being implemented using an electronic device operated by a personal transport vehicle driver and comprising: 35 (a) collecting and sending location information of the driver to a server in communication with the electronic device, 9 wherein the location information is used to determine whether the personal transport vehicle driver is in a vicinity of a pickup location of a user's booking request and if the determination is in the affirmative, to receive an invitation to submit a fixed fare quotation for the booking request; and 5 (b) upon receiving the invitation, providing an interface for the driver to submit a fixed fare quotation for the booking request, and if the fixed fare quotation is selected by the user, receiving a confirmation message to confirm the booking at the fixed fare. Brief Description of Drawings 10 Non-limiting example(s) of the method and system will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. I is a block diagram of an exemplary system for personal transport vehicle booking. Fig. 2 is a block diagram of an exemplary implementation of a mobile device 15 suitable for use as a user device or driver device in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a flowchart of steps performed by the server and/or the user software application accessible on the user device in Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a flowchart of steps performed by a driver software application accessible on the driver device in Fig. 1. 20 Fig. 5(a) is an exemplary user interface on the user device for entering a pickup location using the user software application. Fig. 5(b) is an exemplary user interface on the user device for entering a destination location using the user software application. Fig. 6 is a schematic diagram exemplifying a search operation to locate drivers 25 within a predetermined distance from the pickup location. Fig. 7(a) is an exemplary user interface for entering availability information using the driver software application. Fig. 7(b) is an exemplary user interface for submitting a fixed fare quotation using the driver software application. 30 Fig. 8 is an exemplary user interface for selecting a quotation and driver using the user software application. Fig. 9(a) is an exemplary user interface for confirming a booking using the user software application. Fig. 9(b) is an exemplary user interface for selecting a payment method using 35 the user software application. Fig. 10(a) is an exemplary user interface for viewing driver's details.

10 Fig. 10(b) is an exemplary user interface for tracking the driver en route to the pickup location using the user software application. Detailed Description 5 Fig. I is a block diagram of an exemplary system 100 for personal transport vehicle booking. The system comprises a server 110 in communication with a plurality of personal transport vehicle users 140 and drivers 150 of personal transport vehicles 156 (one shown for simplicity) over a communications network 130. A data store 120 accessible by a processing unit 112 on the server 110 to store information related to 10 personal transport vehicle booking, such as user 122, driver 124 and account-related 126 information. To facilitate personal transport vehicle booking by the users 140, the following software applications are provided: 15 A user software application 144 provides a graphical user interface for users 140 to, inter alia, select a personal transport service, send a booking request, compare fixed fare quotations submitted by drivers 150 and select one of the fixed fare quotations. The user software application 144 may be implemented on any suitable user electronic 20 device 142, such as a desktop computer and a mobile device such as a smartphone, tablet computer, personal digital assistant and laptop computer. A driver software application 154 provides a graphical user interface for drivers 150 to, inter alia, send their location and availability information to the server 110 and 25 submit fixed fare quotations in response to a booking request. The driver software application 154 may be implemented on any suitable Internet- and positioning- capable mobile electronic device 152, such as a smartphone, tablet computer, personal digital assistant and laptop computer. 30 The software applications 144, 154 may be downloadable applications. For example, if the users 140 or drivers 150 are in possession of an Apple iPhone, the software application may be a downloadable "App" that is available through the Apple App Store (trade marks of Apple, Inc). Similarly, the software application 144, 154 may be downloadable from "Blackberry App World" for Blackberry devices (trade marks of 35 Research In Motion Limited), and from "Android Market" for Android devices (trade 11 marks of Google, Inc.). The software application 144, 154 may also be accessible through a website on the Internet 130, or pre-programmed on the devices 142, 152. The communications network 130 comprises a wide area communications network 5 such as the Internet, and wireless communications network comprising base stations or access points employing suitable wireless technologies such as GPRS, WCDMA, OFDMA, WiFi, WiMax and Long-Term Evolution (LTE), for example. Personal Transport Vehicle Service 10 The system may be used for booking any suitable personal transport vehicle service, such as but not limited to the following: (i) Private hire car service, whose operation is regulated differently to public transport vehicle like taxis (as previously mentioned). In the state of New South 15 Wales in Australia, drivers 150 of private hire cars 156 must be licensed and registered with the relevant authority and the hire cars 156 have a license plate number with a "HCXXXX" format. The private hire car may be limousine. (ii) Private hire bus service, such as a shuttle bus or party bus service. A shuttle 20 bus may be booked, for example, to transport multiple passengers from a pickup location (such as the airport) to one or more destination locations. In the state of New South Wales in Australia, shuttle busses generally have a license plate number with a "TVXXXX" format. A party bus may be hired for a fixed number of hours, starting from a pickup location and ending at a destination 25 location (which may be the same as the pickup location). (iii) Private driver service, which allows the user 140 to book a driver 150 to drive the user 140 and/or the user's 140 vehicle (not shown in Fig. I for simplicity) from a pickup location to a destination location. 30 In the case of private driver service, a designated driver 150 may be booked to drive a vehicle of the user 140 to the user's home if the user 140 is not fit to drive due to fatigue or over-limit alcohol level. For example, the driver 150 may arrive on a scooter 156, which is then packed down into the boot of the user's 140 vehicle, before the 35 driver 150 driving the user 140 home. In another example, the driver 150 may arrive 12 with another driver 150 who drives the driver's vehicle 156 while the driver 150 drives the user's 140 vehicle to the destination address. The private driver service may also be used to book a driver 156 who first drives to the 5 user's 140 pickup location, and then drives the user's 140 vehicle around before returning the pickup location. The private driver service may also be a "ghost ride" service, where a driver 156 meets the user 140 at a pickup location and drives the user's vehicle to a destination location. 10 The driver 156 then informs the user 140 exactly where the user's vehicle is parked, while the user 140 continues their night without having to worry about the user's vehicle. Mobile Electronic Device 15 Referring now to the block diagram in Fig. 2, an exemplary implementation of a mobile electronic device suitable for use as a user 142 or driver device 152 will now be explained. The device 142, 152 comprises one or more processors (or central processing units) 20 202 in communication with a memory interface 204 coupled to a memory device 210, and a peripherals interface 206. The memory device 210, which may include random access memory and/or non-volatile memory, stores the software application 144, 154, an operating system 212, and executable instructions to perform communications functions 214, graphical user interface processing 216, sensor processing 218, phone 25 related functions 220, electronic messaging functions 222, web browsing functions 224, camera functions 226, and GPS or navigation functions 228. Sensors, devices and subsystems can be coupled to the peripherals interface 204 to facilitate various functionalities, such as the following. 30 Camera subsystem 240 is coupled to an optical sensor 242, such as a charged coupled device (CCD) or a complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) optical sensor, to facilitate camera functions. 35 Positioning subsystem 250 collects location information of the device by employing any suitable positioning technology such as GPS Assisted-GPS 13 (aGPS). GPS generally uses signals from satellites alone, while aGPS additionally uses signals from base stations or wireless access points in poor signals condition. Positioning system 250 may be integral with the mobile device or provided by a separate GPS-enabled device coupled to the mobile 5 device. Input/Output (I/O) subsystem 260 is coupled to a touch screen 262 sensitive to haptic and/or tactile contact via a user, and/or other input devices such as buttons. The touch screen may also comprise a multi-touch sensitive 10 display that can, for example, detect and process a number of touch points simultaneously. Other touch-sensitive display technologies may also be used, such as display in which contact is made using a stylus. Wireless communications subsystem 264 is designed to allow wireless 15 communications over a network employing suitable technologies such as GPRS, WCDMA, OFDMA, WiFi or WiMax and Long-Term Evolution (LTE). Sensors 268, such as a motion sensor, a light sensor and a proximity sensor are used to facilitate orientation, lighting and proximity functions, 20 respectively. Audio subsystem 270 can be coupled to a speaker 272 and microphone 274 to facilitate voice-enabled functions such as telephony functions 25 Although one exemplary implementation of the mobile device 200 has been provided here, it will be appreciated that any suitable mobile devices capable of implementing the user 144 and driver 154 software applications may be used. User and Driver Registration 30 To start using the personal transport vehicle service, users 140 and drivers 150 are required to register with the server 110 on a website on the Internet or via their respective software application 144, 154. At registration, users 140 are required to provide their name, mobile number, postcode 35 and password. Other information such as email address and street address may be optionally provided. The user 140 may be an individual user or a group of corporate 14 users, in which case the name of the relevant group or company is also requested. The user information is then sent to the server 110 for storage in the data store 120 and retrieval when the user 140 logs in; see 122 in Fig. 2. 5 Similarly, drivers 150 are required to register with the server 110 by providing their full name, address, mobile number, picture, number plate, service type (private hire car, private hire bus, private driver service), vehicle type (including model and year built), license number issued by the relevant authority and acceptable payment method(s) such as cash, credit card, cab charge, Paypal account and direct debit account. 10 To further ensure the driver 150 is an authorised driver of the relevant personal transport vehicle, the server 110 may also independently verify the driver information with a database of licensed drivers (not shown) via the Internet 130. The driver information is then sent to the server 110 for storage in the data store 120 and retrieval 15 when the driver 150 logs in; see 124 in Fig. 2. Service Selection and Booking Request The method for personal transport vehicle booking performed by the user software application 144 on the user device 142 will now be explained with reference to Fig. 3, 20 and the method performed by the driver software application 154 on the driver device 152 with reference to Fig. 4. As previously explained, the software applications 144, 154 may be accessible as an "App" or via a web browser. After logging in using their name and password, a user 140 can select one of the 25 personal transport services offered via the touch-sensitive display 262 on the user device 142; see step 305 in Fig. 3. In particular, the following will be presented on the display 262 of the user device 142 for the user's selection: 30 (i) private hire car; (ii) private hire bus; and (iii) private driver service, where the user 140 can further select whether the user 140 wishes the driver 156 to drive the user 140 or the user's vehicle, or both, from a pickup location to a destination location. 35 15 For the rest of this example, the methods performed by the user software application 144 on the user device 142 and the driver software application 154 on the driver device 152 will be exemplified using (i) private hire car service. However, it should be appreciated that the methods are also applicable to (ii) and (iii). 5 The user 140 may then create a new booking request using the user software application 144 at step 310 in Fig. 3. The booking request includes pickup location entered by the user using the interface in Fig. 5(a) and a destination location using the interface in Fig. 5(b). 10 The pickup and destination locations may be entered as street addresses or selected from a map displayed on the user device 142. If the user 140 has previously used the private hire vehicle service, the pickup and destination locations may also be selected from a list of past bookings or favourites retrievable from the memory 210 on the user 15 device 142 or from the data store 120 via the server I 10. The destination location may also be selected from a location list provided by the user software application 144, where the user 140 can select from a list of hotels, airports, sporting venues, cinemas or other popular locations without having to know the 20 address. The location list is automatically generated by the server 110 and sent to the user software application 144. For example, the location list may be generated and updated based on events that are occurring at a particular city, such as a sporting event or festival. 25 In addition, the booking request may optionally include other information, such as: pickup time, which indicates whether the booking is for now or at a predetermined time later; amount of time for which a driver 156 and/or the driver's vehicle 156 is hired; where to wait (such as the front door, nearest street corner or in the driveway of 30 the pickup location); number of passengers (if any); and a picture of the pickup location, which may be taken using the camera subsystem 240 on the user device. 35 The user 140 may also provide one or more booking criteria in the booking request, such as: 16 payment method such as cash, credit card, cab charge, Paypal and account; minimum driver rating which is a rating determined based on feedback from other users and ranges from one (lowest) to five (highest), for example; expected arrival time, especially if the booking is for now; and 5 vehicle type, including model and year built. Once the booking request is made, the user 140 is prompted to select "Continue", for example via the touch-sensitive display 262 on the mobile device 142, to proceed to the next step; see Fig. 5(b). 10 Location-based Searching, At steps 320 and 330 in Fig. 3, the user software application 144 determines one or more drivers 150 (in this case, private hire vehicle drivers) in a vicinity of the pickup location such that the drivers are invited to submit a fixed fare quotation responsive to 15 the booking request. To determine the private hire vehicle drivers 150 in the vicinity of the pickup location, location information and (optionally) availability information is collected by each driver's electronic device 152; see step 410 in Fig. 4. The collected location and 20 availability information is sent to the server 110 for storage in the data store 120 at regular intervals or, for example, when only the driver is available. The location information indicates the current location of the drivers 150 while the availability information indicates whether the driver 150 is available to take a booking. 25 The location information may be geographic location expressed as longitude and latitude, which can be converted to a street address by referencing a database of latitudes and longitudes (not shown). In one implementation, the user software application 144 determines the drivers 150 in 30 the vicinity of the pickup location by retrieving the location information and availability information from the server I10 or directly from the data store 120. To improve searching efficiency, the information retrieved will only be associated with drivers 150 located within a predetermined distance from the pickup location, and of those who are available. The information is then analysed before the user software 35 application 144 sending out invitations to the drivers 150 to submit a fixed fare quotation according to step 330.

17 In another implementation, the user software application 144 determines the drivers 150 in the vicinity of the pickup location by submitting the booking request to the server 110. In response, the server 110 will retrieve and analyse the location and 5 availability information collected from driver devices 152 to determine whether the respective drivers 150 are in the vicinity of the pickup location. The server 110 will then sends an invitation to the drivers who are in the vicinity and available to take the booking in step 330. 10 Referring now to schematic diagram 600 in Fig. 6, a multi-level search is used to determine the private hire vehicle drivers 150 in the vicinity of the pickup location 600 in step 320. In this case, an initial search 620 is performed to locate drivers in a first vicinity of within 5 km from a pickup location 600. In this case, two private hire vehicles 156b and 156e are located, but the latter is not available. 15 Since the number of private hire vehicles located is insufficient (say at least two are required), the search is extended to a larger vicinity of within 10 km from the pickup location 600; see 630. In this case, four additional private hire vehicles (156a, 156c, 156d and 1560 are located, but only two (156a, 156c) are available. Private hire 20 vehicle 156g is excluded from the search because it is located outside of the acceptable 10 km ring. As such, only private hire vehicles 156a, 156b and 156c are available to take the booking and an invitation will be sent to the driver electronic devices 152a, 152b and 152c associated with these vehicles 156a, 156b and 156c. 25 On the other hand, if there are many drivers who are in the vicinity of the pickup location 600, only a predetermined number (say 10) of drivers 150 who are nearest to the pickup location 600 will be invited to submit a fixed fare quotation. If the user 140 has included other booking criteria (such as payment method, driver 30 rating, expected arrival time, and vehicle type) in the booking request, only drivers 150 who satisfy the criteria will be invited to submit a fixed fare quotations. While steps 320 and 330 have been exemplified using the driver's availability information, it will be appreciated that invitations may also be sent out to all private 35 hire vehicles (156a to 1560 in Fig. 6 regardless of their availability. In this case, if no fixed fare quotation is received from any of the private hire vehicles (156a to 1560, it is 18 assumed that the drivers 150 are either not available or do not wish to submit a quotation. Fixed Fare Quotations from Drivers 5 Referring now to step 420 in Fig. 4, drivers 150 who receive the invitation will now have opportunity to submit a fixed fare quotation. Fig. 7(b) shows an exemplary interface for drivers 150 to submit a fixed fare quotation. The interface allows the driver 150 to enter a fixed fare quotation ("Cost" field) and 10 optionally an estimated arrival time ("Arrival in" field) for a trip from the pickup location to the destination location. Although not shown in Fig. 7(b), it will be appreciated that the fixed fare quotation may be manually entered by the driver 150, or automatically calculated by the driver software application 154 in step 430 in Fig. 4. 15 For example, the fixed fare may be calculated based on the following: The distance between the pickup and destination locations. The number of hours for which the driver 150 and/or the driver's vehicle 156 are required. 20 The expected journey time between the pickup and destination locations. In this case, the expected time may be calculated based on which day it is, time of day or real time traffic conditions provided by the server 110 or a Traffic Authority. Similarly, the driver 150 may enter a "cost per time" that is used to calculate the fixed fare quotation. The distance between the current location of the driver 150 (as indicated by the 25 location of the driver device 152) and the pickup location. Once the fixed fare is calculated, the driver software application 154 also provides the driver 150 with the discretion to manually adjust the fare, such as to apply a discount. If the driver 150 works for a company of drivers, the fixed fare may be calculated based 30 on a company-wide policy, as determined by a fixed "cost per km" and "cost per time", for example. The "Submit" button is then pressed or selected to submit the quotation to the server 110; see step 440. Otherwise, if the driver 150 does not wish to submit a quotation, the 35 driver 150 can select the "No Thanks". The drivers 150 can also simply ignore the 19 invitation, in which case the invitation will time out and removed from the display after a predetermined period (say 15 minutes). Quotation Selection 5 The user software application 144 then presents the fixed fare quotations submitted by the drivers 150 on the display 262 of the user device 142 such that they can be compared and selected by the user 140; see steps 340 and 350 in Fig. 3. An exemplary interface 800 for presenting the quotations is shown in Fig. 8. In this 10 example, three quotations ("$27.50" 810, "$25.50" 820 and "$29.80" 830) are presented on a map at the location of the corresponding drivers 150. Each quotation 810, 820 and 830 also contains additional information retrieved from the server 110, including driver's name, see "Thomas R" 810, "John D" 820 and "Steven T" 830. 15 vehicle type, see "Holden Caprice" 810, "BMW 7 Series" 820 and "Mercedes C Class" 830; driver rating, see "5/5" 810, "4/5" 820 and "3/5" 830; expected arrival time based on the driver's location, see "25 mins" 810, "14 mins" 820 and "10 mins" 830; and 20 payment method(s) such as cash, credit card and cab charge. Advantageously, the interface 800 allows the user 140 to compare the quotations 810, 820 and 830 based on the fixed fares, and optionally the additional information. For example, if the user 140 is price-sensitive, the cheapest quotation 820 of "$25.50" may 25 be selected. However, if the user 140 is time-sensitive, the quotation 830 of the highest fare "$29.80" but the shortest arrival time of "10 mins" may be selected. Further, if the user 140 prefers a perfect "5/5" rating but is neither time- nor price-sensitive, quotation 810 of "$27.50" may be selected. 30 In this case, assume that the user 140 is price-sensitive and selects the cheapest quotation 820 of "$25.50" by touching the quotation 820 on the touch-sensitive display 262 of the user electronic device 152 and followed by "Select". If the user device 152 does not have a touch-sensitive display, the quotation can be selected by clicking on the quotation using a mouse coupled to a desktop computer or a touch pad coupled to a 35 laptop computer.

20 Booking Confirmation Referring now to Fig. 9(a), the user 140 will then be asked to confirm the booking details of pickup and destination locations and the fixed fare. The user 140 can also decline the booking, in which case the user software application 144 will ask the user 5 140 to provide a feedback rating relating to the service offered. Otherwise, if the booking is accepted, a confirmation message will be sent to the driver who submitted the selected quotation 820; see steps 360 in Fig. 3 and 450 in Fig. 4. The confirmation message may be sent from the user's electronic device 142 to the 10 driver's electronic device 152, or by the server 110. As shown in Fig. 9(b), the user 140 is then asked to select one of the payment methods offered by the selected driver 150. The payment methods available are provided by the driver 150 at registration with the server 1 10. 15 Vehicle Tracking Once the "Accept" button on the payment method interface in Fig. 9(b) is selected, the booking is complete and an exchange of the details between the driver 152 and user 142 is triggered. 20 For example, as shown in Fig. 10(a), the driver's full name, mobile phone number, number plate and payment method are presented on the user device 142. Additional information in the booking request, such as where to wait and a picture of the pickup location may also be sent to the driver 150. 25 Further, at step 370 in Fig. 3, the user 140 can choose to track the driver 150 en route to the pickup location, such as using the exemplary interface in Fig. 10(a). In this case, the driver software application 154 will collect and send its location information to the user software application 144 at regular intervals until the driver device 152 (and 30 therefore the driver 150 and vehicle 156) reaches the pickup location. The location information may be sent by the driver software application 154 to the user software application 144 via the server I10. Upon receiving the location information of the driver 150, the map displayed in Fig. 35 10(b) will then be updated with the latest received location information of the driver 150.

21 Payment and Account Reconciliation Once the booking is completed, the user software application 144 provides an interface for the user 140 to make a payment for the booking at the fixed fare pre-agreed with the 5 driver 150. For example, if the user 140 has provided details of their credit card, direct debit account, Paypal account, or cab charge account to the server 110 at registration, the payment may be made once the user 140 reaches the destination location. Otherwise, the payment may be made by the user 140 directly to the driver 150. 10 The server 110 will also calculate a booking fee and direct debit the driver's 150 account rat a later date. The server 110 performs a reconciliation to pay the fixed fare to the driver for the booking, minus the booking fee. For example, the booking fee may be a percentage of the fixed fare (10% for example) or a simply fixed fee ($5 per booking or $40 for 10 bookings). The reconciliation may be performed at fixed 15 intervals, such as weekly, fortnightly or monthly. Once the booking is completed, the user software application 144 requests the user 140 to rate the driver 150 such that their experience can be shared with other users 140 of the private hire vehicle booking service. The user 140 may also save details of the 20 driver 150 as a "favourite" driver. For example, if the same driver 150 submits a fixed fare quotation responsive to the user's booking request in the future, the quotation will be highlighted (such as with a star) on the interface in Fig. 8. Although not shown, the user 144 and driver 154 software applications also allow the 25 users 140 and drivers 150 (respectively) to view their details of the past bookings, including the pickup and destination locations and fare. The user software application 144 may further provide a function for users 140 to enter a coupon or promotion code generated by the server 110 to obtain discounts. 30 It should also be understood that, unless specifically stated otherwise as apparent from the following discussion, it is appreciated that throughout the description, discussions utilizing terms such as "receiving", "processing", "retrieving", "selecting", "calculating", "determining", "displaying" or the like, refer to the action and processes of a computer system, or similar electronic computing device, that processes and 35 transforms data represented as physical (electronic) quantities within the computer system's registers and memories into other data similarly represented as physical 22 quantities within the computer system memories or registers or other such information storage, transmission or display devices. The processing unit I10 and classifier 112 can be implemented as hardware, software or a combination of both. 5 It should also be understood that the methods and systems described might be implemented on many different types of processing devices by computer program or program code comprising program instructions that are executable by one or more processors. The software program instructions may include source code, object code, machine code or any other stored data that is operable to cause a processing system to 10 perform the methods described. The methods and systems may be provided on any suitable computer readable media. Suitable computer readable media may include volatile (e.g. RAM) and/or non-volatile (e.g. ROM, disk) memory, carrier waves and transmission media (e.g. copper wire, coaxial cable, fibre optic media). Exemplary carrier waves may take the form of electrical, electromagnetic or optical signals 15 conveying digital data streams along a local network or a publically accessible network such as the Internet. It should also be understood that computer components, processing units, engines, software modules, functions and data structures described herein may be connected 20 directly or indirectly to each other in order to allow any data flow required for their operations. It is also noted that software instructions or module can be implemented using various methods. For example, a subroutine unit of code, a software function, an object in an object-oriented programming environment, a computer script, computer code or firmware can be used. The software components and/or functionality may be 25 located on a single device or distributed over multiple devices depending on the application. Reference in the specification to "one embodiment" or "an embodiment" of the present invention means that a particular feature, structure or characteristic described in 30 connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus, the appearances of the phrase "in one embodiment" appearing in various places throughout the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, words using singular or plural number also include the plural or singular number respectively. 35 23 It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that numerous variations and/or modifications may be made to the invention as shown in the specific embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention as broadly described. The present embodiments are, therefore, to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not 5 restrictive.

Claims

1. A computer system for location-based personal transport vehicle booking, comprising a server operable to: 5 (a) collect location information from multiple positioning-enabled electronic devices each operated by a personal transport vehicle driver, and store the location information in a data store accessible by the server; (b) based on the collected location information and a user's booking request for a personal transport vehicle from a pickup location to a destination location, determine 10 one or more personal transport vehicle drivers in a vicinity of the pickup location; (c) send an invitation to submit a fixed fare quotation for the booking request to the one or more determined drivers; (d) receive one or more fixed fare quotations submitted by the one or more determined drivers, and send the received quotations to the user for presentation on a 15 display and selection via the user's positioning-enabled electronic device; and (e) upon receiving the user's selection of a fixed fare quotation, send a confirmation message to the driver who submitted the selected fixed fare quotation to confirm the booking at the fixed fare. 20

2. The system of claim 1, wherein in step (b), the server is further operable to send, to the user, location information collected from the drivers who submitted the quotations for presentation on a map together with the quotations.

3. The system of claim 1 or 2, wherein: 25 step (b) comprises a multilevel search comprising an initial search for one or more drivers within a first vicinity from the pickup location, and an extended search to a larger vicinity if insufficient number of drivers are located; the first vicinity and larger vicinity being each associated with an area within a predetermined distance from the pickup location. 30

4. The system of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the server is further operable to: collect availability information of the drivers from the electronic devices and storing the availability information in a data store accessible by the server, and 35 perform step (b) based on the availability information such that an invitation is only sent to drivers who are available to take the booking. 25

5. The system of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the server is further operable to collect location information from the driver who submitted the selected quotation, and send the collected information to the user for tracking the driver en route 5 to the pickup location after step (d).

6. The system of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the determination of the drivers in step (b) is based on one or more booking criteria included the booking request. 10

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the one or more booking criteria include one or more of the following: pickup time, amount of time for which the driver and/or the driver's vehicle is hired, payment method, driver rating, expected arrival time, and vehicle model. 15

8. The system of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the server is operable to: collect additional information from the driver who submitted the quotations, the additional information including one or more of each driver's: payment method offered, driver rating, expected arrival time, and vehicle model; and 20 send the additional information to the user for presentation on the display to facilitate the selection.

9. The system of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the server is further operable to receive the user's selection of a payment method offered by the driver and 25 process payment of the fixed fare.

10. The system of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the server is further operable to receive a rating from the user relating to their experience of the booking. 30

11. The system of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the server is further operable to receive the user's selection of a personal transport vehicle service and to determine the one or more drivers in step (b) based on the received user's selection.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the user's selection is one of the following: 35 private hire car service, private hire bus service and private driver service. 26

13. A computer program comprising computer-executable instructions to implement the system according to any one of claims 1 to 12.

14. A method for location-based personal transport vehicle booking, the method being 5 performed by a server and comprising: (a) collecting location information from multiple positioning-enabled electronic devices each operated by a personal transport vehicle driver and storing the location information in a data store accessible by the server; (b) based on the collected location information and a user's booking request for a 10 personal transport vehicle from a pickup location to a destination location, determining one or more personal transport vehicle drivers in a vicinity of the pickup location; (c) sending an invitation to submit a fixed fare quotation for the booking request to the one or more determined drivers; (d) receiving one or more fixed fare quotations submitted by the one or more 15 determined drivers, and send the received quotations to the user for presentation on a display on the user's positioning-enabled electronic device and selection; and (e) upon receiving the user's selection of a fixed fare quotation via the user's positioning-enabled electronic device, sending a confirmation message to the driver who submitted the selected fixed fare quotation to confirm the booking at the fixed 20 fare.

15. An electronic device for location-based personal transport vehicle booking, the electronic device being operated by a user of personal transport vehicle and comprising one or more processors operable to: 25 (a) receive, from the user, a booking request for a personal transport vehicle from a pickup location to a destination location; (b) determine personal transport vehicle drivers in a vicinity of the pickup location such that the drivers are invited to submit a fixed fare quotation for the booking request; 30 (c) receive one or more fixed fare quotations submitted by the determined drivers, and providing an interface for the user to select one of the fixed fare quotations; and (d) detect the user's selection of a fixed fare quotation such that a confirmation message is sent to the driver who submitted the selected quotation to confirm the booking at the fixed fare. 35 27

16. The electronic device of claim 15, wherein in step (c), the one or more processors are further operable to present the one or more fixed fare quotations on a map together with location information of the drivers who submitted the quotations. 5

17. The electronic device of claim 16, wherein the location information of the drivers is retrieved from a server or data store that receives the location information from positioning-enabled electronic devices operated by the drivers.

18. The electronic device of claim 16 or 17, wherein in step (b), the one or more 10 processors perform a multilevel search based on the pickup location and location information of the drivers, and wherein the multilevel search comprises an initial search for one or more drivers within a first vicinity from the pickup location; and an extended search to a larger vicinity if insufficient number of drivers are located. 15

19. The electronic device of any one of claims 15 to 18, wherein the one or more processors perform step (b) based on availability information of the drivers such that an invitation is only sent to drivers who are available to take the booking.

20. The electronic device of any one of claims 15 to 19, wherein the one or more data 20 processors are further operable to track the selected driver en route to the pickup location after step (d).

21. The electronic device of any one of claims 15 to 20, wherein the one or more processors determine the drivers in step (b) based on one or more booking criteria 25 included the booking request.

22. The electronic device of claim 21, wherein the one or more booking criteria include one or more of the following: payment method, driver rating, expected arrival time, and vehicle model. 30

23. The electronic device of any one of claims 15 to 22, wherein the one or more data processors are further operable to receive and present, on the display in step (c), one or more of each driver's: payment method, driver rating, expected arrival time, and vehicle model. 35 28

24. The electronic device of any one of claims 15 to 23, wherein the one or more data processors are further operable to receive the user's selection of a payment method and to process payment of the fixed fare. 5

25. The electronic device of any one of claims 15 to 24, wherein the one or more data processors are further operable to receive a rating from the user relating to their experience of the booking.

26. The electronic device of any one of claims 15 to 25, wherein the pickup and 10 destination locations are selected from a list of favourite locations, popular locations or past bookings.

27. The electronic device of any one of claims 15 to 26, wherein the one or more processors are further operable to receive the user's selection of a personal transport 15 vehicle service such that the one or more drivers are determined in step (b) based on the received user's selection.

28. The electronic device of claim 27, wherein the user's selection is one of the following: private hire car service, private hire bus service and private driver service. 20

29. A computer program comprising computer-executable instructions to implement the electronic device according to any one of claims 15 to 28.

30. A method for location-based personal transport vehicle booking, the method being 25 implemented by an electronic device and comprising: (a) receiving, from the user, a booking request for a personal transport vehicle from a pickup location to a destination location; (b) determining personal transport vehicle drivers in a vicinity of the pickup location such that the drivers are invited to submit a fixed fare quotation for the 30 booking request; (c) receiving one or more fixed fare quotations submitted by the determined drivers, and providing an interface for the user to select one of the fixed fare quotations; and (d) detecting the user's selection of a fixed fare quotation such that a confirmation 35 message is sent to the driver who submitted the selected quotation to confirm the booking at the fixed fare. 29

31. An electronic device for personal transport vehicle booking, the electronic device being operated by a personal transport vehicle driver and comprising one or more processors operable to: 5 (a) collect and send location information of the driver to a server in communication with the electronic device, wherein the location information is used to determine whether the personal transport vehicle driver is in a vicinity of a pickup location of a user's booking request and if the determination is in the affirmative, to receive an invitation to submit a fixed 10 fare quotation for the booking request; and (b) upon receiving the invitation, provide an interface for the driver to submit a fixed fare quotation for the booking request, and if the fixed fare quotation is selected by the user, receive a confirmation message to confirm the booking at the fixed fare. 15

32. The electronic device of claim 31, wherein the one or more processors are further operable to collect availability information of the driver, and send the availability information to the server such that the invitation is received only when the driver is available. 20

33. The electronic device of claim 31 or 32, wherein the one or more processors are further operable to send location information of the driver to an electronic device operated by the user to allow tracking of the driver en route to the pickup location after step (b). 25

34. The electronic device of any one of claims 31 to 33, wherein the one or more processors are further operable to determine the fixed fare quotation submitted by the driver.

35. The electronic device of claim 34, wherein the fixed fare quotation is determined 30 based on one or more of the following: distance between the pickup and destination locations; amount of time for which the driver and/or the driver's vehicle are hired; expected journey time between the pickup and destination locations; day of the booking request and time of day; 35 traffic conditions between the pickup and destination locations; and distance between a current location of the driver and the pickup location. 30

36. The electronic device of any one of claims 31 to 35, wherein the determination in (a) is based on the user's selection of a personal transport vehicle service. 5

37. The electronic device of claim 36, wherein the user's selection is one of the following: private hire car service, private hire bus service and private driver service.

38. A computer program comprising computer-executable instructions to implement the electronic device according to any one of claims 31 to 37. 10

39. A method for location-based personal transport vehicle booking, the method being implemented using an electronic device operated by a personal transport vehicle driver and comprising: (a) collecting and sending location information of the driver to a server in 15 communication with the electronic device, wherein the location information is used to determine whether the personal transport vehicle driver is in a vicinity of a pickup location of a user's booking request and if the determination is in the affirmative, to receive an invitation to submit a fixed fare quotation for the booking request; and 20 (b) upon receiving the invitation, providing an interface for the driver to submit a fixed fare quotation for the booking request, and if the fixed fare quotation is selected by the user, receiving a confirmation message to confirm the booking at the fixed fare.