ITBS20090185A1 - METHOD AND TRANSPORT SYSTEM OF PEOPLE - Google Patents

Description

DESCRIPTION

Attached to a patent application for INDUSTRIAL INVENTION having the title

"METHOD AND SYSTEM OF TRANSPORT OF PEOPLE"

The present invention relates to a method of transporting people, in particular public transport by sharing motor vehicles, and a relative system for transporting people. The present invention relates to the sector of transport systems and services intended for public use, in particular on the road and for commuting needs.

In general, vehicle sharing transport solutions (also called "car-pooling" or "group car") consist of methods and / or programs that consist in connecting two or more people in order to share a vehicle to travel the same section in the same time slot. Basically, a user (the driver) travels to go from a certain point of departure to a certain point of arrival on board a vehicle owned by him with unused free seats, and makes these free seats available to one or more other users (the passenger (s)) who can use them to travel a stretch of the same route, or the entire route from the point of departure to the point of arrival, typically contributing to the trip with a cash payment.

Typically, the transport by sharing vehicles is applied in relation to journeys repeated over time or programmable in advance, such as for example commuter movements or participation in particular events. Typically, shared transport methods make use of graphical interfaces connected to the network (internet, telephony, etc.) that allow users to access the service and plan routes, times and other characteristics of the trip.

Vehicle sharing is therefore one of the most common and economically effective methods as an alternative to traditional public transport (train, bus, etc.) or the use of one's own vehicle, typically widespread in urban areas characterized by congested road traffic or in areas poorly served by public transport services. Transport by vehicle sharing is also an important mobility option for non-driver users.

Among the advantages of vehicle sharing, it can be observed that it involves a minimum increase in costs as it uses free seats that otherwise would not be used, and also tends to achieve an economy of scale: the greater the number of users accessing the shared transport system, the greater the possibility of finding a vehicle available for your route.

Therefore, success also depends on the promotion and incentive programs of the system and / or the ease of accessing and using the system itself, which can encourage a significant portion of potential users to use the shared transport system.

Transport by vehicle sharing can limit costs related to fuel, parking, tolls and vehicle maintenance for users and, at the same time, can reduce travel times, especially on routes typically affected by commuter travel.

Furthermore, it can reduce urban traffic and the costs associated with the construction and maintenance of road infrastructures.

In addition, this method of transport, by decreasing the number of vehicles in transit, can reduce the risks associated with road accidents and limit fuel consumption and polluting emissions from vehicles.

Furthermore, the presence of a vehicle sharing system, reducing traffic congestion and the environmental impact of means of transport, can improve the quality of life in urban centers.

In the known art there are systems for managing the transport of people which allow to implement a sharing of the transport vehicles. However, the Applicant has found that they are not free from some drawbacks and can be improved under various aspects, mainly in relation to the physical implementation of the transport system and / or the ease of use of the system by a user and / or the ability to attract new users.

In this situation, the technical task underlying the present invention is to provide a method and a system for transporting people which may be able to improve and / or improve and / or increase one or more of the aforementioned advantageous effects.

Within the scope of this technical task, one of the purposes of the present invention in one or more of its various aspects is to provide a method and a system for transporting people, based on the sharing of means of transport among several users sharing the same section from travel, able to reduce environmental pollution due to pollutants produced by passenger transport vehicles, typically road vehicles.

One of the possible purposes of the present invention in one or more of its various aspects is to provide a system and a method of transporting people capable of reducing the environmental impact of road infrastructures used for the circulation of vehicles.

One of the possible purposes of the present invention in one or more of its various aspects is to provide a system for transporting people which allows in real time to realize a sharing of a section of the route based on the availability of drivers and requests from passengers.

One of the possible purposes of the present invention in one or more of its different aspects is to provide a system for transporting people that is able to recognize an economic advantage to a user (driver) who makes available to other users (passenger / i) your vehicle within the system itself.

A further possible object of the present invention in one or more of its various aspects is to provide a system and a method of transporting people capable of streamlining the waiting times of traditional public transport vehicles and / or of allowing travel. road faster.

Another possible object of the present invention in one or more of its various aspects is to provide a method and a system for transporting people which are simple and / or economical to design and / or manufacture and / or install and / or configuration and / or operation and / or maintenance.

One or more of the above objects, and any other objects which will become clearer in the course of the following description, are substantially achieved by a system and a method of transporting persons according to one or more of the attached claims, each of which taken alone (without the related dependencies) or in any combination with the other claims, as well as according to the following aspects, variously combined, also with the aforementioned claims.

In one aspect, the invention relates to a people transport system comprising a plurality of motor vehicles, adapted to be driven by a respective driver, each having installed on board a control unit comprising a processing unit, a data entry device, a satellite tracking device, an identification device, a payment device and a first mobile communication unit, the system further comprising a plurality of second mobile communication units, each provided to a respective user of the system, and a network of mobile communication for receiving and sending information to and from said first and second mobile communication units, the system further comprising a central station connected to said mobile communication network for communicating with said first and second mobile communication units via said communication network mobile, said system by creating a sharing service of motor vehicles between drivers and users who travel along a shared stretch of route, where said control unit is able to receive from the driver a second information representative of the geographical position of the place of destination of said motor vehicle, where said localization device is able to determine a position current geographic position of the vehicle and to process a third information representative of this current geographic position, the control unit being able to calculate in real time, on the basis of said geographic position of the place of destination and said current geographic position, a possible route of said motor vehicle from current geographical position at the place of destination, with relative travel times, and to process a fourth information representative of said path and said relative travel times, where said identification device is able to receive from a user, entering the vehicle, a personal code d the said user and send to said processing unit a fifth information representative of said personal code, where said payment device is able to allow a payment for the transport service which said user uses, on the basis of the residence time of the user on the vehicle and / or the distance traveled by the user on the vehicle, and process a sixth information representative of data necessary for payment, where said processing unit is capable of interfacing with said data entry device, location device, identification device, payment device and first mobile communication unit, where said first mobile communication unit is adapted to put said control unit in communication with said mobile communication network, where the control unit is configured to encode a first data block representative of at least said fourth information and to send said first data block by means of and said first mobile communication unit and said mobile communication network to said central station, where each second mobile communication unit is adapted to receive from the respective user an indication of the geographical position of the destination desired by the user and to send to said station central, through said mobile communication network, a transport request containing a seventh information representative of a unique identification code of the user, an eighth information representative of the geographical position of the user's current location at the time of sending said request and a ninth information representative of said geographical position of the destination desired by the user, where said second mobile communication unit is adapted to encode said transport request in a second data block and to send it via said mobile communication network to said central station, said station central comprising a first database containing a list of the vehicles in the system, each of which is associated with at least the respective fourth latest information received from the vehicles, said central station comprising a second database containing a list of system users each of which is associated with the respective request for last transport received by the user, where said central station is programmed to interrogate and compare said first and second databases to associate at least one system vehicle with at least one vehicle of the system on the basis of a correspondence between said possible last path received by said at least one vehicle and said last transport request received from said at least one user, said central station being able to send through said mobile communication network a third data block to said first mobile communication unit of said at least one motor vehicle, where said third data block contains a tenth piece of information r representative of said geographical position of current location of said at least one user, said processing unit being configured to process said tenth information and inform the driver of said at least one motor vehicle of said geographical position of current location of said at least one user.

In one aspect, said data entry device is adapted to receive from the respective driver and send to said processing unit a first information representative of the number of free spaces of the motor vehicle available for receiving users, said first data block also being representative of said first information and being associated, to each motor vehicle of said list in said first database, also the respective first last information received.

In one aspect, said central station is programmed to associate with said at least one user of the system a plurality of motor vehicles of the system on the basis of a correspondence between said respective possible last path received by said plurality of motor vehicles and said last transport request received by said at least a user, said central station being able to send said third data block via said mobile communication network to said respective first mobile communication unit of said plurality of motor vehicles. Advantageously, this allows for a redundancy of 'useful' vehicles for each request.

In one aspect, said third data block contains first additional information representative of the identity of said at least one user and / or of the user's recognition and / or payment, said processing unit being able to process said first additional information in order to inform the driver accordingly.

In one aspect, said central station is able to send through said mobile communication network a fourth data block to said second mobile communication unit of a user of the system, said fourth data block containing an eleventh information representative of the acceptance or rejection of the transport request, said second mobile communication unit being configured to process said eleventh information and inform the user of said acceptance or rejection of the transport request.

In one aspect, said fourth data block contains second additional information representative of the expected transit time of said at least one vehicle at said geographical position of current location of said at least one user and / or the related expected waiting times. Optionally, said second additional information can also be representative of a collection place of said at least one user by said at least one motor vehicle and / or of a tariff relating to said transport request of said at least one user and / or can be identifying of said at least one motor vehicle and / or its driver. Said second mobile communication unit is preferably adapted to process said second additional information in order to inform the user accordingly.

In one aspect, said location device is a satellite navigation device comprising a first display capable of providing a graphical user interface (GUI) for displaying said current position of the motor vehicle and / or said place of destination and / or said path and / or said geographical position of current location of at least one user.

In one aspect, said location device is adapted to determine said current geographical position of the vehicle cyclically, said control unit being configured to cyclically send said third and / or fourth information to said central station.

In one aspect, said payment device, for example a POS (Point Of Sale) terminal, is adapted to accept payment instruments such as subscriptions in the form of magnetic cards or cards with electronic chips, or credit cards or prepaid cards or alphanumeric codes. or similar or travel documents to be authenticated through said payment device.

In one aspect, said identification device and said payment device coincide and both identification and payment take place using the same medium, for example magnetic or electronic card, credit card, prepaid card, code or the like, and said fifth and sixth information are processed and / or coded by the same device.

In one aspect, said fifth and sixth information are sent by said first mobile communication unit via said mobile communication network to said central station or inserted in said first data block.

In one aspect, one or more of said second mobile communication units are configured to process and encode and send said seventh and / or eighth information automatically at the time of the creation of said transport request by the user.

In one aspect, one or more of said second mobile communication units comprise a satellite location module which automatically processes said eighth information.

In one aspect, said eighth information is processed autonomously by said mobile communication network.

In one aspect, said second mobile communication unit comprises a mobile communication module, a second display able to realize a graphical user interface (GUI) and a second keyboard for data entry, said second display being able to show the user the information destined to and from said mobile communication network and said second keyboard being able to receive from the user at least said indication of the geographical position of the destination desired by the user, said mobile communication module being able to send said second data block to said central station via said mobile communication network and / or to receive said fourth data block from said central station via said mobile communication network.

In one aspect, said second mobile communication unit is a cellular telephone and said second and / or fourth data block are encoded in the standard sms (short message service).

In one aspect, said central station is configured to credit a first portion of said payment to the driver of said at least one motor vehicle, and a second portion to a transport system manager who is responsible for providing the infrastructures necessary to implement the system itself and / or to ensure its correct functioning.

In one aspect, said central station is programmed to process said fourth information, representative of said possible path, and create a path-vector comprising a plurality of data pairs in succession, each of said data pairs containing spatial information representative of a geographic position of transit and a temporal information representative of a transit time of the respective motor vehicle in said geographic position of transit, said data pairs being ordered in said vector so that said temporal information is in temporal progression.

In one aspect, these geographical transit locations are selected from a set of fixed and predefined geographical locations, typically distributed over a geographical area.

In one aspect, said first database comprises a first data matrix comprising a plurality of rows each representative of a vehicle of the system, each row comprising a first field representative of an identifier of said vehicle, a second field representative of the last number of free seats received of such motor vehicle, and a third field comprise said respective carrier-route last arrived.

In one aspect, said second database comprises a second data matrix comprising a plurality of rows each representative of a user of the system, each row comprising a first field representative of said user identification code, a second field representative of said geographical location of location current user's current at the time of sending said request, and a third field representative of said geographical position of the destination desired by the user.

In one aspect, said central station is programmed to read said second field of each row of said first matrix, representative of the latest number of free seats of the respective motor vehicle, and verify a preliminary condition in which said second field contains a value greater than zero. Advantageously, this condition indicates that the respective vehicle is active in the system and available to receive users.

In one aspect, said central station is programmed to compare, conditionally upon the occurrence of the preliminary condition, the second field of the row of said second matrix corresponding to said at least one user of the system with the spatial information contained in the third field of each row of said first matrix , and verifying a first condition consisting in the existence of a correspondence between said geographical position of current location of the user and a first geographical position of transit of at least one motor vehicle.

In one aspect, said central station is programmed to read, conditionally upon the occurrence of said first condition, the temporal information belonging to the pair of data to which the spatial information representative of said first geographical position of transit belongs and to verify a second condition in which said temporal information is subsequent to the current instant.

In one aspect, said central station is programmed to compare, conditionally upon the occurrence of said second condition, the third field of said row of said second matrix corresponding to said at least one user of the system with the spatial information contained in the third field of the row of said first matrix for which said first and second condition is verified, and verify a third condition consisting in the existence of a correspondence between said desired geographic location of destination of said at least one user and a second geographic transit position of said at least one subsequent motor vehicle temporally to said first geographical position of transit. In one aspect, said central station is programmed to search, conditionally upon the occurrence of said third condition, the minimum of all the temporal information that verify said second condition. In one aspect, said tenth piece of information is represented by said first geographic location of transit.

In a further aspect, the invention relates to a method of transporting people that creates a vehicle sharing service between drivers and users who travel along a shared stretch of the route, the method comprising the steps of:

- provide a plurality of motor vehicles, driven by a respective driver, each having installed on board a control unit comprising a processing unit, a data input device, a satellite tracking device, an identification device, a payment device and a first mobile communication unit;

- providing a plurality of second mobile communication units, each in use to a respective user of the system;

- providing a mobile communication network to receive and send information to and from said first and second mobile communication units;

- providing a central station connected to said mobile communication network for receiving and sending information to and from said first and second mobile communication units via said mobile communication network;

- inserting in said control unit of the plurality of motor vehicles a second information representative of the geographical position of the place of destination of said respective motor vehicle;

- determining, by means of said device for locating the plurality of motor vehicles, a current geographical position of the respective motor vehicle and processing, by means of the respective control unit, a third information representative of this position;

- calculate in real time, by said control unit, on the basis of said geographical position of the place of destination and said current geographical position, a possible route of said vehicle from the current position to the place of destination, with relative travel times, and elaborate a fourth information representative of said path and said relative travel times;

- coding, by means of said control unit, a first data block representative of at least said fourth information and sending, by means of said first mobile communication unit and said mobile communication network, said first data block to said central station;

- by the second mobile communication units, receive an indication of the geographical position of the desired destination by the respective user and send to said central station, via said mobile communication network, a transport request containing a seventh information representative of an identification code unique information of the user, an eighth information representative of an indication of the geographical position of the user's current location at the time of sending said request and a ninth information representative of said indication of the geographical position of the destination desired by the user;

- coding, by means of said second mobile communication unit, said transport request in a second data block and sending it through said mobile communication network to said central station; - providing said central station with a first database containing a list of the motor vehicles of the system, to each of which is associated at least the respective fourth last information received; - providing said central station with a second database containing a list of the users of the system to each of which the respective last received transport request is associated;

- querying and comparing, by said central station, said first and second databases in order to associate at least one user of the system with at least one vehicle of the system on the basis of a correspondence between said possible last path received by said at least one vehicle and said request for last transport received by said at least one user;

- sending, from said central station and through said mobile communication network, a third data block to said first mobile communication unit of said at least one vehicle of the system, said third data block containing a tenth information representative of said geographical position of current location of said at least one user;

- processing, by said processing unit, said tenth information and informing the driver of said at least one motor vehicle of said geographical position of current location of said at least one user;

- inserting, by said at least one user entering a motor vehicle, in said identification device a personal code of the user and sending, by means of said identification device, a fifth information representative of said personal code to said control unit processing.

In one aspect, the method further comprises the step of inserting in said data entry device of the plurality of motor vehicles a first information representative of the number of free spaces of the respective motor vehicle and available for receiving users, and sending, by means of said entry device of data, said first information to said processing unit, where said first data block is also representative of said first information and where each motor vehicle of said list in said first database is also associated with the respective first last information received.

In one aspect, the method further comprises the step of allowing a payment for the transport service which said user uses, based on the time the user stays on the motor vehicle and / or the distance traveled by the user on the motor vehicle, and process a sixth piece of information representative of the data required for payment.

In one aspect, said step of allowing a payment takes place by said payment device or, alternatively, by said processing unit or, alternatively, by said central station.

In one aspect, the method further comprises the steps of associating, by means of said central station, with said at least one user of the system a plurality of motor vehicles of the system on the basis of a correspondence between said respective possible last path received by said plurality of motor vehicles and said last transport request received from said at least one user, and send said third data block via said mobile communication network to said respective first mobile communication unit of said plurality of motor vehicles.

In one aspect, the method further comprises the step of sending, from said central station and through said mobile communication network, a fourth data block to said second mobile communication unit of said at least one user of the system, said fourth data block containing an eleventh information representative of the acceptance or rejection of the transport request,

In one aspect, the method further comprises the step of processing, by said second mobile communication unit, said eleventh information and informing said user of said acceptance or rejection of the transport request.

In one aspect, the method further comprises the steps of determining, by means of said localization device, said current geographical position of the vehicle cyclically, and cyclically sending, by means of said control unit, said third and / or fourth information to said central station. .

In one aspect, the method further comprises the step of sending, by means of said first mobile communication unit and said mobile communication network, said fifth and sixth information to said central station or inserting said fifth and sixth information in said first data block.

In one aspect, said step of coding said transport request in a second data block comprises the step of processing and coding and sending, by means of said second mobile communication unit, said seventh and / or eighth information automatically at the time of creation of said transport request.

In one aspect, the method further comprises the step of autonomously processing, by means of said mobile communication network, said eighth information.

In one aspect, said step of processing, by said processing unit, said tenth information further comprises the step of processing, by said processing unit, the first additional information, contained in said third block, representative of the identity of said at least one user and / or that the user has been recognized and / or that the payment has been made, in order to inform the driver accordingly.

In one aspect, said step of processing, by said second mobile communication unit, said eleventh information and informing said user of said acceptance or rejection of the transport request further comprises the step of processing, by said second mobile communication unit , of the second additional information, contained in said fourth block, representative of the expected transit time of said at least one motor vehicle at said geographical position of current location of said at least one user and / or of the relative expected waiting times and / or of a place of collection of said at least one user by said at least one motor vehicle and / or of a tariff relating to said request for transport of said at least one user and / or can identify said at least one motor vehicle and / or its driver, in order to inform said user accordingly.

In one aspect, the method further comprises the step of crediting, by said central station, a first portion of the payment, to be paid by said at least one user through said payment device, to the driver of said at least one motor vehicle, and a second share to a transmission system manager who is responsible for providing the infrastructures necessary to implement the system and / or to ensure its correct functioning.

In one aspect, the method also includes the phase of paying, by said operator, an additional fee or an incentive in another form to a driver who shares a vehicle with low polluting emissions and / or shares his vehicle on average with a large number of users. In one aspect, the method further comprises the step of processing, by said central station, said fourth information, representative of said possible path, and creating a vector-path comprising a plurality of pairs of data in succession, each of said pairs of data. data containing a spatial information representative of a geographical position of transit and a temporal information representative of a transit time of the respective vehicle in said geographical position of transit, said pairs of data being ordered in said vector so that said temporal information is in temporal progression.

In one aspect, the method also includes the step of selecting, by said central station, said geographical positions of transit from a set of fixed and predefined geographical positions, typically distributed over a geographical area.

In one aspect, the method further comprises the step of comprising in said first database a first data matrix comprising a plurality of rows each representative of a vehicle of the system, each row comprising a first field representative of an identifier of said vehicle, a second field representative of the last received number of free spaces for that vehicle and a third field comprising said respective last received route carrier.

In one aspect, the method further comprises the step of comprising in said second database a second data matrix comprising a plurality of rows each representative of a user of the system, each row comprising a first field representative of said identification code, a second field representative of said geographic position of the user's current location at the time of sending said request, and a third field representative of said geographic position of the destination desired by the user.

In one aspect, the method further comprises the step of coding, by said central station, each first field of said second matrix processing said seventh information of said second data blocks, each second field of said second matrix processing said eighth information of said second data blocks and each third field of said second matrix processing said none information of said second data blocks.

In one aspect, the method further comprises the step of updating in real time, by said central station, said first and second databases at each reception of said first and / or second block of data.

In one aspect, the method further comprises the step of comparing, by means of said central station, the second field of the row of said second matrix corresponding to said at least one user of the system with the spatial information contained in the third field of each row of said first matrix, and verifying a first condition consisting in the existence of a correspondence between said geographical position of current location of the user and a first geographical position of transit of at least one motor vehicle.

In one aspect, the method further comprises the step of reading, by said central station, conditionally upon the occurrence of said first condition, the temporal information belonging to the pair of data to which the spatial information representative of said first geographical position of transit belongs. and verifying a second condition in which said temporal information is subsequent to the current instant.

In one aspect, the method further comprises the step of comparing, by said central station, conditionally upon the occurrence of said second condition, the third field of said row of said second matrix corresponding to said at least one user of the system with the spatial information contained in the third field of the row of said first matrix for which said first and second condition is verified, and verify a third condition consisting in the existence of a correspondence between said geographical location of desired destination of said at least one user and a second geographical location of transit of said at least one motor vehicle temporally subsequent to said first geographical position of transit.

In one aspect, the method further comprises the step of searching, by said central station, conditionally upon the occurrence of said third condition, the minimum of all the temporal information that verifies said second condition.

Further characteristics and advantages will become clearer from the detailed description of some embodiments, including also a preferred embodiment, exemplary but not exclusive, of a method and a system for transporting people according to the present invention. This description will be set out below with reference to the accompanying drawings, provided for indicative purposes only and, therefore, not limitative, in which:

Figure 1 schematically illustrates a possible embodiment of the people transport system according to the present invention;

Figure 2 schematically illustrates a possible embodiment of a control unit of a motor vehicle of the system of Figure 1;

Figure 3 schematically illustrates a possible embodiment of the central station of the system of Figure 1.

With reference to the attached figures, a system for transporting people according to the present invention is globally indicated with the reference number 1. In general, the same reference number is used for the same or similar elements, possibly in their construction variants.

The passenger transport system 1, schematically illustrated in Figure 1, comprises a plurality of motor vehicles 2, driven by a respective driver, each having installed on board a control unit 100 (schematically shown in Figure 2) comprising a processing unit 3, a data input device 4, a satellite tracking device 5, an identification device 6, a payment device 7 and a first mobile communication unit 8.

Typically the motor vehicles 2 are privately owned, for example owned by the respective driver.

Preferably, the satellite localization device 5 can be a GPS navigation and / or localization device, Galileo, etc., for example a navigator of the type typically used on board land or marine vehicles and equipped, as exemplary shown in Figure 1, satellite coverage 70.

Preferably, the payment device 7 is a POS (Point Of Sale) terminal of the type typically used in commercial establishments or taxis.

Preferably, the first mobile communication unit 8 is a device capable of communicating by means of the TACS, GSM, GPRS, EDGE, UMTS, HSPA, wireless and / or radio standard.

The system 1, as illustrated in Figure 1, further comprises a plurality of second mobile communication units 9, each provided to a respective user 10 of the system, and a mobile communication network 11 for receiving and sending information to and from the first 8 and the second 9 mobile communication units. The system further comprises a central station 50 connected to the mobile communication network 11 for communicating to and from the first and second mobile communication units via said mobile communication network.

Preferably, as schematically shown in Figure 2 by means of the oriented arrows, the processing unit 3 interfaces with the data input device 4, the location device 5, the identification device 6, the payment device 7 and the first mobile communication unit 8. Preferably, the first mobile communication unit 8 puts the control unit 100 in communication with the mobile communication network 11, for example by receiving and sending information to and from the processing unit 3 and to and from the mobile communication network 11.

Preferably, as schematically illustrated in Figure 3, the central station 50 comprises a first database 30 containing a list of the motor vehicles 2 of the system 1, each of which is associated with the respective first and fourth information 1a and 4a last received by the motor vehicles, and comprises a second database 40 containing a list of the users of the system to each of which the respective transport request last received by the user is associated.

The system thus composed creates a vehicle sharing service between drivers and users who travel along a shared stretch of the route, where these users are passengers of the vehicle driven by the driver.

The operation of the transport system 1 provides for a series of phases in which the components of this system receive, process and communicate a plurality of information.

Preferably, as exemplary shown in Figure 2, the data entry device 4 receives from the respective driver and sends to the processing unit 3 a first information 1a representative of the number of free seats of the vehicle 2 available to receive users.

Preferably, this first information 1a is representative of the number of free seats of the vehicle 2 available to receive users 10 and is entered by the driver in the processing unit 3 before the start of a journey or, alternatively, during the journey itself.

Preferably, the control unit 100 receives from the driver a second information 2a representative of the geographical position of the place of destination that the driver intends to reach by means of his vehicle 2. Preferably, this second information 2a contains the address or, alternatively, the geographical coordinates of that place of destination. In one aspect the second information 2a can be entered by the driver into the control unit 100 by means of the data input device 4.

Preferably, the location device 5 determines a current geographic position of the motor vehicle 2 and processes a third information 3a representative of this current geographic position.

Preferably, the control unit 100 calculates in real time, on the basis of the geographical position of the place of destination and the current geographical position, a possible route of the motor vehicle, with relative travel times, and processes a fourth information 4a representative of this route and of the relative travel times. In an alternative embodiment, the route calculation and the processing of the fourth information are carried out by the location device 5.

Preferably, the aforementioned possible route of the vehicle is the most likely route from the current position to the place of destination, calculated for example by minimizing the distance or by favoring main or high-traffic roads.

Preferably, the location device 5 is a satellite navigation device comprising a first display which creates a graphical user interface (GUI) capable of displaying the current position of the vehicle, the place of destination, the aforementioned possible route and the geographical position current location of at least one user.

Preferably, the satellite navigation device also comprises a further user interface, for example a first keyboard or a touch screen, designed to receive the second information 2a from the driver and send it to the processing unit 3.

In one aspect the aforementioned graphical user interface (GUI) coincides with said touch screen.

Preferably, the location device 5 determines the current geographical position of the motor vehicle 2 cyclically and the control unit 100 cyclically sends, through the first mobile communication unit 8 and the mobile communication network 11, the third 3a and / or the fourth information 4a to the central station 50.

Preferably the control unit 100, typically its processing unit 3, is configured to encode a first data block 1b representative at least of the first and fourth information 1a and 4a and to send said first data block 1b via the first mobile communication unit 8 and via the mobile communication network 11 to the central station 50.

In an alternative aspect, the second and third information 2a and 3a are also encoded in the first data block 1b.

Preferably, the identification device 6 receives from a user 10, at the entrance to the motor vehicle 2, and sends to the processing unit 3 a fifth information 5a containing a personal code of the user, for example by means of an identification card and / or a code or the like.

Preferably, the payment device 7 allows a payment for the transport service which the user uses, on the basis of the time spent by the user on the vehicle and / or the distance traveled by the user on the driver's vehicle, and elaborates a sixth information 6a representative of the data necessary for the payment.

Preferably, the payment device 7 accepts payment instruments such as season tickets in the form of magnetic cards or cards with electronic chips, or credit cards or prepaid cards or alphanumeric codes or the like or travel documents to be authenticated by means of this payment device.

In a possible embodiment, the sixth information 6a can be representative of the data contained in said payment instrument and the aforementioned payment for the transport service is calculated by the processing unit 3 or, alternatively, by the central station 50.

In a further possible embodiment, the identification device 6 and the payment device 7 coincide and both identification and payment take place using the same medium, for example magnetic or electronic card, credit card, prepaid card, code or the like, and said fifth and sixth information are processed by the same device.

Preferably the processing unit 3 is programmed to manage, process, modify, store, receive and / or send the aforementioned first 1st, second 2nd, third 3rd, fourth 4th, fifth 5th and sixth 6th information.

Preferably the fifth and sixth information 5a and 6a are sent by the first mobile communication unit 8 via the mobile communication network 11 to the central station 50 or inserted in the first data block 1b.

Preferably, each second mobile communication unit 9, typically owned by the user 10 by whom it is used, receives from the respective user an indication of the geographical position of its desired destination and sends to the central station 50, via the mobile communication network 11, a transport request containing a seventh information 7a representative of a unique identification code of the user, an eighth information 8a representative of the current geographic location of the user at the time of sending the transport request and a ninth information 9a representative of the aforementioned geographical position of the desired destination. Preferably the second mobile communication unit 9 can comprise a mobile communication module, a second display designed to create a graphical user interface (GUI) and a second keyboard for data entry. Preferably, the mobile communication module is a device capable of communicating by means of the TACS, GSM, GPRS, EDGE, UMTS, HSPA, wireless and / or radio standard.

Preferably, the second display is adapted to display to the user 10 the information intended for and from the mobile communication network 11, the second keyboard receives from the user at least the aforementioned indication of the geographical position of the desired destination and the mobile communication module is adapted to sending the second data block 2b to the central station 50 via the mobile communication network 11 and receiving the fourth data block 4b from the central station 50 via the mobile communication network 11.

Alternatively, the second keyboard can receive the entire transport request from the user, ie the aforementioned seventh 7a, octave 8a and ninth information 9a.

Preferably the second mobile communication unit 9 is a cellular telephone and the second 2b and / or the fourth data block 4b are encoded in the standard sms (short message service).

For example, this mobile phone can be a smart-phone or a PDA (personal digital assistant).

Preferably one or more of the second mobile communication units 9 are configured to process and encode and send the seventh 7a and / or the eighth information 8a automatically when the transport request is created by the user 10.

Preferably one or more of the second mobile communication units 9 comprise a satellite location module which automatically processes the eighth information 8a.

Alternatively, the eighth information 8a, representative of the geographical position of the user's current location, can be processed independently by the mobile communication network 11 by locating the geographical position in which the second mobile communication unit 9 is located.

Preferably, the second mobile communication unit 9 encodes the transport request in a second data block 2b and sends it via the mobile communication network 11 to the central station 50. Preferably the first database 30 is suitable for storing and organizing the information, in arrival from the first mobile communication units 8, contained in the first data block 1b in order to create the list of motor vehicles owned by the drivers, and the second database 40 is able to store and organize the information arriving from the second communication units mobile 9, contained in the second data block 2b in order to create the list of users 10 of the system.

In order to create, in the transport system, the vehicle sharing service between drivers and users who travel along a shared stretch of the route, the central station 50 is programmed to query and compare the aforementioned first and second databases 30 and 40 in order to to associate to at least one user 10 of the system at least one motor vehicle 2 of the system on the basis of a correspondence between the possible last path reached by said motor vehicle 2 of the system and the last transport request received by said user 10 of the system.

Preferably, the central station 50 sends through the mobile communication network 11 a third data block 3b to the first mobile communication unit 8 of at least one motor vehicle 2, and this third data block contains a tenth information 10a representative of the current geographic location of at least a user 10.

Preferably the processing unit 3 is configured to process the tenth information 10a and inform the driver of a motor vehicle 2 of the geographical position of the current location of a user 10.

In an alternative aspect, the third data block 3b also contains first additional information representative of the identity of at least one user and / or of the recognition of the user and / or of the payment, and the processing unit 3 is capable of to process such first additional information in order to inform the driver accordingly.

Typically, the recognition of a user 10 corresponds to a situation in which the central station 50 has correctly received the aforementioned fifth information 5a entered by the user, by means of the identification device 6, in the control unit 100 of the motor vehicle on which he has entered. board, associated with it by the central station 50 on the basis of the aforementioned correspondence.

Typically, the payment of the transport service used by a user 10 corresponds to a situation in which the central station 50 has correctly received the aforementioned sixth information 6a, representing data necessary for the payment, entered by the user, by means of the device for payment 7, in the control unit 100 of the vehicle with which it travels the stretch of the route in common

Preferably, the central station 50 sends via the mobile communication network 11 a fourth data block 4b to the second mobile communication unit 9 of a user 10 of the system, and this fourth data block contains an eleventh information 11a representative of the acceptance or rejection of the transport request. Preferably the second mobile communication unit 9 processes the eleventh information 11a and informs the user of the acceptance or rejection of the transport request.

Typically, the acceptance of the transport request corresponds to a situation in which the central station 50 has correctly received the transport request and has consequently updated the second database 40, and by way of example the aforementioned eleventh information 11a informs the user that the central station 50 is interrogating said first and second databases 30 and 40 in order to associate at least one motor vehicle of the system with said user and / or places the user waiting for a motor vehicle.

Typically the refusal of the transport request corresponds to a situation in which the central station 50 has not correctly received the transport request (for example it has not recognized the aforementioned seventh 7a and / or eighth 8a and / or ninth information 9a) and does not update consequently the second database 40, or corresponds to a generic error situation in which the central station 50 cannot correctly process the transport request received by the user.

In an alternative aspect, the fourth data block 4b also contains second additional information representative of the expected transit time of at least one vehicle 2 at the current geographical location of the user 10 and / or the related expected waiting times. Optionally, the aforementioned second additional information can also be representative of a user's collection place by the vehicle and / or a tariff relating to the user's transport request and / or can be identifying the vehicle and / or of its driver. Preferably, the second mobile communication unit 9 processes such second additional information in order to inform the user accordingly.

In an alternative form, the central station 50 is programmed to associate to a user 10 of the system a plurality of motor vehicles 2 of the system on the basis of a correspondence between the respective possible last path received by said plurality of motor vehicles 2 and the last transport request received by the user, and is able to send, via the mobile communication network 11, the third data block 3b to the respective first mobile communication unit 8 of the aforementioned plurality of motor vehicles 2. This advantageously allows to have a redundancy of motor vehicles. useful 'for each request: each of them receives the transport request and typically the first of these' useful 'motor vehicles that reaches the user's current geographic location fulfills this transport request and begins the shared section of the route.

Preferably, as exemplary shown in Figure 3, the central station 50 comprises a third mobile communication unit 15, adapted to put the central station in communication with the mobile communication network 11, which receives the first and second data blocks 1b and 2b respectively from the first and second mobile communication units 8 and 9 via the communication network 11 and sends the third and fourth data blocks 3b and 4b respectively to the first and second mobile communication units 8 and 9 via the mobile communication network 11 .

Preferably, the central station 50 further comprises a processing module 16 which interfaces the third mobile communication unit 15 with each other and the aforementioned first and second databases 30 and 40, and is programmed to manage, process, modify, store, receive and / or send from and / or to the mobile communication network 11 the aforementioned first, second, third and / or fourth data blocks 1b, 2b, 3b and 4b. Preferably, the mobile communication network 11 manages the information traffic of the system 1, typically the first 1b, the second 2b, the third 3b and the fourth data block 4b, and sorts the aforementioned information between the first 8, the second 9 and the third mobile communication unit 15, in order to allow communication between drivers and users and to implement system 1.

Preferably, the processing module 16 is programmed to manage the identification of drivers and users, to manage the payment of transport services, to provide support to drivers and users of the system, to administer the overall operation of the system.

Preferably the processing module 16 of the central station 50 comprises a territorial information system that manages one or more digital road maps of the geographical area on which the system 1 can operate.

Preferably the system 1 is based on a plurality of predefined collection points, each having a respective fixed and predefined geographical position, in which the meeting between a vehicle 2 and one or more users 10 who have sent a transport request can take place.

Preferably the path of each motor vehicle 2 of the system 1, from the current geographic position to the geographic position of the place of destination, is processed by the central station 50 and divided into points belonging to the aforementioned plurality of collection points.

Preferably, in the operation of the system 1, the central station 50 processes the fourth information 4a, representative of the possible path, and creates a path-vector comprising a plurality of data pairs in succession, and each of these data pairs contains an information spatial representative of a geographical position of transit and a temporal information representative of a transit time of the respective vehicle in that geographical position of transit. Furthermore, the data pairs are ordered in this vector so that the temporal information is in temporal progression.

In this way, each pair of data represents, by means of its own spatial information, a geographic position of transit which is closest to a term of the possible path with respect to the geographic position of transit represented by the previous data pair, by means of its own spatial information, and more distant from the aforementioned term with respect to the geographical position of transit represented by the next pair of data, by means of its own spatial information. Furthermore, each pair of data represents, through its temporal information, an instant following the instant represented by the previous data pair, by means of its own temporal information, and preceding the instant represented by the next data pair by its own temporal information.

The aforementioned path-vector can possess the following structure, shown purely for explanatory purposes: PA = [a tab tbc tc….], Where a, b, c are the successive geographical positions of transit of the vehicle A at the respective time instants ta, tbtc. Typically, ta is greater than the current instant in which the path is encoded. Preferably, the aforementioned geographic positions of transit a, b, c are selected from a set of fixed and predefined geographic positions, typically distributed in such a way as to constitute a grid of geographic positions on the aforementioned geographic area.

Preferably the first database 30 comprises a first data matrix comprising a plurality of rows each representative of a motor vehicle 2 of the system 1, each row comprising a first field representative of an identifier of the motor vehicle, a second field representative of the last number of seats received free of said motor vehicle and a third field comprising the aforementioned respective carrier-route last received.

The aforementioned first matrix may possess, by way of example, the following table structure, shown purely for illustrative purposes:

where A, B, C, D are different vehicles of the system, na, nb, nc, nd are the respective numbers of free seats of these vehicles and PA, PB, PC, PD are the respective path vectors of each vehicle.

Preferably, each vehicle in the first database is associated with a vehicle status field in the system, for example active or passive. In one aspect, this status field can coincide with or derive from this second field (for example active status if number of places greater than zero, otherwise passive status).

Preferably the second database 40 comprises a second data matrix comprising a plurality of rows each representative of a user 10 of the system 1. Each row comprises a first field representative of the user's identification code, a second field representative of the current geographic location. of the user at the time of sending the request, and a third field representative of the geographical position of the destination desired by the user.

The aforementioned first matrix may possess, by way of example, the following table structure, shown purely for illustrative purposes:

where 1, 2, 3 are different users of the system, x1, x2, x3 are the respective current geographic locations of those users and y1, y2, y3 are the respective geographic locations of the destinations desired by those users.

Preferably also each field x and each field y is selected from the aforementioned set of fixed and predefined geographical positions.

Preferably, the central station 50 encodes each first field of the second matrix by processing the aforementioned seventh information 7a of the second data blocks 2b, each second field of the second matrix processing the eighth information 8a of the second data blocks 2b and each third field of the second matrix by processing the ninth information 9a of the second data blocks 2b.

Preferably, the central station 50 updates in real time the first and second databases 30 and 40 upon each receipt of a first data block 1b and / or a second data block 2b.

Preferably the control unit 100 sends this first block of data 1b to each transit of the vehicle 2 in one of the aforementioned points of the route.

Preferably, for the operation of the system, the central station 50 is programmed to read the second field of each row of the first matrix, representative of the latest number of free spaces of the respective vehicle, and verify a preliminary condition in which this second field contains a value greater than zero, the respective vehicle being active in the system and available to receive users.

Preferably, the central station 50 is programmed to compare, conditionally upon the occurrence of the preliminary condition, the second field of the row of the second matrix, corresponding to the aforementioned at least one user 10 of the system, with the spatial information contained in the third field of each row of the first matrix , and verifying a first condition consisting in the existence of a correspondence between the geographical position of current location of the user 10 and a first geographical position of transit of at least one motor vehicle 2.

Preferably, this first condition is verified if the geographical position of the current location of the user 10 and the first geographical position of transit of at least one vehicle are less than a certain limit distance, for example equal to 250 m.

Preferably, the central station 50 is programmed to read, conditionally upon the occurrence of the first condition, the temporal information belonging to the pair of data to which the spatial information representative of the aforementioned first geographical position of transit belongs and to verify a second condition in which this temporal information is after the current instant.

Preferably, the second condition is verified if the time information and the current instant are temporally less than a certain limit waiting time, for example equal to 15 minutes. Preferably, the central station 50 is programmed to compare, conditionally upon the occurrence of the second condition, the third field of the row of the second matrix, corresponding to the aforementioned at least one user 10 of the system, with the spatial information contained in the third field of the row of the first matrix for which the aforementioned first and second conditions are verified, and a third condition consisting in the existence of a correspondence between the desired geographical location of destination of the aforementioned user and a second geographical position of transit of the aforementioned motor vehicle temporally subsequent to said first geographical position of transit.

Preferably, the third condition is verified if the desired geographical location of destination of the user 10 and the second geographical location of transit of the vehicle 2 are less than a certain limit distance, for example equal to 250 m.

Preferably the central station 50 is programmed to search, conditionally upon the occurrence of the third condition, the minimum of all the temporal information which verify the second condition. Preferably the central station 50 is programmed to associate with at least one user 10 of the system at least one motor vehicle 2 of the system on the basis of a correspondence when the preliminary condition, the first condition, the second condition, the third condition, and consequently the station are verified. central 50 fulfills said transport request.

Preferably, the central station 50 is programmed to decrease by one unit the value contained in the third field of the row of the first matrix relating to the motor vehicle 2 which fulfills this transport request, following the sending, by said control unit 100, of said seventh information 7a representative of a unique identification code of the user 10.

Preferably the tenth information 10a, processed by the processing unit 3 to inform the driver of a motor vehicle 2 of the current geographic location of a user 10, is representative of the first geographic transit position that this motor vehicle reaches during its journey.

Preferably, the central station 50 is configured to credit a first portion of the payment to the driver of the vehicle 2 on which the user 10 travels along the shared stretch of route, and a second portion to a transport system manager 1 who takes care of provide the infrastructures necessary to implement the system and / or to ensure its correct functioning.

Preferably, the operator can pay an additional fee or an incentive in another form to a driver who shares a vehicle 2 with low polluting emissions and / or shares his vehicle on average with a large number of users 10.

Preferably, the access of a user 10 to a motor vehicle 2 is subject to the prior identification of the user by the control unit 100, carried out by comparing the fifth information 5a and the seventh information 7a, to verify the congruence between the personal code and the unique identification code of the user 10.

Preferably, the central station 50 is programmed to calculate a score for each driver and / or each user relating to the behavior maintained by him in the system, and this score can be modified following each sending of the first data block 1b or of the second data block 2b, or following each section of the shared route.

Preferably, a driver's score can be decreased following the refusal by the driver himself to fulfill a transport request indicated to him by the central station 50 or the denial of entry to a user 10 indicated by the central station 50 for a certain stretch of route.

Preferably, the score of a user 10 can be decreased as a result of a non-presence of the user in the starting place of the shared route indicated in the transport request or indicated by the central station 50.

Preferably each driver or user can communicate to the central station 50 his own judgment about the behavior of another driver or user of the system, for example a driver can communicate an opinion for a user with whom he has shared a common stretch of route and a the user can communicate an opinion about the driver of the vehicle which he has used for a shared stretch of the route. Typically the aforementioned score can be decreased or increased based on these judgments.

Preferably, the aforementioned manager can pay a credit or an incentive in another form to one or more drivers or users with a high score.

Preferably, the central station 50 is programmed to establish an order of priority among the transport requests associated with the users of the system, said order of priority defining which transport request the system assigns precedence to in the event of a conflict between multiple transport requests relating to a same stretch of path and simultaneous presence of limited system resources.

Typically, these system resources are for example motor vehicles, free seats, the processing capacity of the central station. Typically this order of priority is established on the basis of the importance or urgency of each transport request or on the basis of the aforementioned score of each user.

Preferably, public or private bodies (e.g. municipalities, provinces, regions, institutional bodies, etc. or dealers, traders, renters, etc.) can equip system 1 with one or more vehicles 2, for example to provide a public utility service or in exchange for graphic sponsorships on vehicles.

Preferably, the motor vehicles 2 can each comprise its own identification element, for example a trademark, a sticker or a sign, indicative of the belonging of the vehicle to the system 1 and / or identification of the driver of the vehicle.

Preferably, system 1 provides for the implementation of an appropriate insurance coverage to protect users of the system itself.

Claims (10)

CLAIMS 1. Method of transporting people that carries out a vehicle sharing service (2) between drivers and users (10) traveling on a shared stretch of the route, the method comprising the steps of: - providing a plurality of motor vehicles (2), driven by a respective driver, each having installed on board a control unit (100) comprising a processing unit (3), a data input device (4), a location device (5) satellite, an identification device (6), a payment device (7) and a first mobile communication unit (8); - providing a plurality of second mobile communication units (9), each in use by a respective user (10); - providing a mobile communication network (11) to receive and send information to and from said first and second mobile communication units (8, 9); - providing a central station (50) connected to said mobile communication network (11) to receive and send information to and from said first and second mobile communication units (8, 9) via said mobile communication network (11); - inserting in said control unit (100) of the plurality of motor vehicles (2) a second information (2a) representative of the geographical position of the place of destination of said respective motor vehicle (2); - determining, by means of said localization device (5) of the plurality of motor vehicles (2), a current geographic position of the respective motor vehicle (2) and processing, by the respective control unit (100), a third representative information (3a) of that position; - calculating in real time, by said control unit (100), on the basis of said geographical position of the place of destination and said current geographical position, a possible route of said motor vehicle (2) from the current position to the place of destination, with relative travel times, and processing a fourth information (4a) representative of said path and said relative travel times; - coding, by means of said control unit (100), a first data block (1b) representative of at least said fourth information (4a) and sending, by means of said first mobile communication unit (8) and said mobile communication network ( 11), said first data block (1b) to said central station (50); - by the second mobile communication units (9), receive an indication of the geographical position of the destination desired by the respective user (10) and send to said central station (50), via said mobile communication network (11), a transport request containing a seventh information (7a) representative of a unique identification code of the user (10), an eighth information (8a) representative of an indication of the user's current geographical location (10) at the time of sending said request and a ninth information (9a) representative of said indication of the geographical position of the destination desired by the user (10); - coding, by means of said second mobile communication unit (9), said transport request in a second data block (2b) and sending it via said mobile communication network (11) to said central station (50); - providing said central station (50) with a first database (30) containing a list of motor vehicles (2), each of which is associated with at least the respective fourth information (4a) last received; - providing said central station (50) with a second database (40) containing a list of users (10) to each of which the respective last received transport request is associated; - querying and comparing, by said central station (50), said first and second databases (30, 40) to associate at least one user (10) at least one motor vehicle (2) on the basis of a correspondence between said possible last path received from said at least one motor vehicle and said last transport request received from said at least one user; - sending, from said central station (50) and through said mobile communication network (11), a third data block (3b) to said first mobile communication unit (8) of said at least one motor vehicle (2), said third block data (3b) containing a tenth information (10a) representative of said geographical position of current location of said at least one user (10); - processing, by said processing unit (3), said tenth information (10a) and informing the driver of said at least one motor vehicle (2) of said geographical position of current location of said at least one user (10); - insert, by said at least one user (2) at the entrance to a motor vehicle (2), in said identification device (6) a personal code of the user and send, by means of said identification device (6), a fifth information (5a) representative of said personal code to said processing unit (3). 2. Method according to the preceding claim further comprising the steps of: - insert in said data entry device (4) of the plurality of motor vehicles (2) a first information (1a) representative of the number of free spaces of the respective motor vehicle (2) and available to receive users (10), and send, to work of said data input device (4), said first information (1a) to said processing unit (3), where said first data block (1b) is also representative of said first information (1a) and where to each motor vehicle (2) of said list in said first database (30) the respective first (1a) information last received is also associated; And - make a payment for the transport service that said user (10) uses, based on the time the user stays on the vehicle (2) and the distance traveled by the user on the vehicle, and process a sixth piece of information ( 6a) representative of the data necessary for payment. Method according to any one of the preceding claims further comprising the steps of associating, by means of said central station (50), to said at least one user (10) a plurality of motor vehicles (2) on the basis of a correspondence between said respective possible last path reached by said plurality of motor vehicles and said last transport request received by said at least one user, and send through said mobile communication network (11) said third data block (3b) to said respective first mobile communication unit (8) of said plurality of motor vehicles (2). Method according to any one of the preceding claims further comprising the step of sending, from said central station (50) and via said mobile communication network (11), a fourth data block (4b) to said second mobile communication unit (9) ) of said at least one user (10), said fourth data block (4b) containing an eleventh information (11a) representative of the acceptance or rejection of the transport request, and the step of processing, by said second communication unit mobile (9), said eleventh information (11a) and inform said user (10) of said acceptance or rejection of the transport request. Method according to any one of the preceding claims wherein said step of coding said transport request in a second data block (2b) comprises the step of processing and coding and sending, by means of said second mobile communication unit (9), called seventh and eighth information (7a, 8a) automatically at the time of the creation of said transport request. Method according to any one of the preceding claims wherein said step of processing, by said processing unit (3), said tenth information (10a) further comprises the step of processing, by said processing unit (3), of the first additional information, contained in said third block (3b), representative of the identity of said at least one user (10) and of the user's recognition and payment, in order to inform the driver accordingly. Method according to claim 4 wherein said step of processing, by said second mobile communication unit (9), said eleventh information (11a) further comprises the step of processing, by said second mobile communication unit (9) ), of the second additional information, contained in said fourth data block (4b), representative of the expected transit time of said at least one motor vehicle (2) at said geographical position of current location of said at least one user (10), of the relative expected waiting times, of a meeting place of said at least one user by said at least one motor vehicle and of a tariff relating to said transport request of said at least one user and can be identification of said at least one motor vehicle and its driver , in order to inform said user accordingly. 8. Method according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising the step of processing, by said central station (50), said fourth information (4a), representative of said possible path, and creating a vector-path comprising a plurality of pairs of data in succession, each of said data pairs containing a spatial information representative of a geographical position of transit and a temporal information representative of a transit time of the respective vehicle (2) in said geographical position of transit, said data pairs being ordered in said vector so that said temporal information is in temporal progression, where said first database comprises a first data matrix comprising a plurality of rows each representative of a motor vehicle, each row comprising a first field representing an identifier of said motor vehicle , a second field representative of the number last received of free places of said vehicle and a third field comprising said respective vector path last arrived, where said second database comprises a second data matrix comprising a plurality of rows each representative of a user, each row comprising a first field representative of said code identifier, a second field representative of said geographical location of the user's current location at the time of sending said request, and a third field representative of said geographical location of the user's desired destination, and the method further comprises the step of comparing , by said central station (50), the second field of the row of said second matrix corresponding to said at least one user with the spatial information contained in the third field of each row of said first matrix, and verify a first condition consisting in existence of a correspondence between said position ge graphic of the user's current location and a first geographical transit position of at least one motor vehicle, and further comprises the step of reading, by said central station (50), conditionally upon the occurrence of said first condition, the time information belonging to the pair of data to which the spatial information representative of said first geographical position of transit belongs and verifying a second condition in which said temporal information is subsequent to the current instant, the method further comprising the step of comparing, by said central station (50), conditionally upon the occurrence of said second condition, the third field of said row of said second matrix corresponding to said at least one user with the spatial information contained in the third field of the row of said first matrix for which said first and second condition, and verify a third condition consisting in the existence of a correspondence variation between said geographic position of desired destination of said at least one user (10) and a second geographic position of transit of said at least one motor vehicle (2) temporally subsequent to said first geographic position of transit. 9. System (1) for transporting people comprising a plurality of motor vehicles (2), adapted to be driven by a respective driver, each having installed on board a control unit (100) comprising a processing unit (3), a device input device (4), a satellite tracking device (5), an identification device (6), a payment device (7) and a first mobile communication unit (8), the system (1) comprising furthermore a plurality of second mobile communication units (9), each provided to a respective user (10) of the system, and a mobile communication network (11) for receiving and sending information to and from said first and second communication units mobile (8, 9), the system (1) further comprising a central station (50) connected to said mobile communication network (11) to communicate with said first and second mobile communication units (8, 9) via said communication network mobile communication (11), d this system (1) creating a vehicle sharing service (2) between drivers and users (10) who travel along a shared stretch of the route, where said control unit (100) is able to receive a second information from the driver (2a) representative of the geographical position of the place of destination of said motor vehicle (2), where said location device (5) is able to determine a current geographic position of the motor vehicle (2) and to process a third information (3a) representative of this geographic position current, the control unit (100) being able to calculate in real time, on the basis of said geographical position of the place of destination and said current geographical position, a possible route of said motor vehicle (2) from the current geographical position to the place of destination, with relative travel times, and to elaborate a fourth information (4a) representative of said path and said relative travel times, where said dis positive identification (6) is able to receive from a user (100), entering the motor vehicle (2), a personal code of said user and send to said processing unit (3) a fifth information (5a) representative of said personal code, where said payment device (7) is suitable for allowing a payment for the transport service that said user (10) uses, based on the time the user stays on the vehicle (2) and the distance traveled by the user on the motor vehicle, and processing a sixth piece of information (6a) representative of data necessary for payment, where said processing unit (3) is capable of interfacing with said data input device (4), location device (5), identification device (6), payment device (7) and first mobile communication unit (8), where said first mobile communication unit (8) is able to put said control unit (100) in communication with said network of commu mobile indication (11), where the control unit (100) is configured to code a first data block (1b) representative of at least said fourth information (4a) and to send said first data block (1b) through said first mobile communication unit ( 8) and said mobile communication network (11) to said central station (50), where each second mobile communication unit (9) is able to receive from the respective user (10) an indication of the geographical position of the destination desired by the user and to send to said central station (50), through said mobile communication network (11), a transport request containing a seventh information (7a) representative of a unique identification code of the user, an eighth information (8a) representative the geographical position of the user's current location at the time of sending said request and a ninth information (9a) representative of said geographical position of the destination desired by the 'user, where said second mobile communication unit (9) is able to encode said transport request in a second data block (2b) and to send it via said mobile communication network (11) to said central station (50), said central station comprising a first database (30) containing a list of the vehicles (2) of the system (1), each of which is associated with at least the respective fourth information (4a) last received by the vehicles, said central station (50) comprising a second database (40) containing a list of users (10) of the system (1) to each of which the respective last transport request received by the user is associated, where said central station (50) is programmed to query and compare said first and second database (30, 40) to associate to at least one user (10) of the system at least one motor vehicle (2) of the system on the basis of a correspondence between said possible last path received by said at least one car vehicle and said last transport request received from said at least one user, said central station (50) being able to send through said mobile communication network (11) a third data block (3b) to said first mobile communication unit (8) of said at least one motor vehicle (2), where said third data block (3b) contains a tenth information (10a) representative of said geographical position of current location of said at least one user (10), said processing unit (3) being configured to process said tenth information (10a) and inform the driver of said at least one motor vehicle (2) of said geographical position of current location of said at least one user (10). System (1) according to the preceding claim wherein said location device (5) is a satellite navigation device comprising a first display suitable for realizing a graphical user interface (GUI) to display said current position of the motor vehicle (2) , said place of destination, said path and said geographical position of current location of at least one user (10), where said payment device (7) is adapted to accept payment instruments, where said second mobile communication unit (9) comprises a mobile communication module, a second display able to create a graphical user interface (GUI), a second keyboard for data entry and a satellite localization module, said second display being able to display the intended information to the user a and coming from said mobile communication network (11) and said second keyboard being adapted to receive from the user at least said indication of the pos geographic location of the destination desired by the user, said mobile communication module being able to send said second data block (2b) to said central station (50) via said mobile communication network (11) and to receive a fourth data block (4b) from said central station (50) through said mobile communication network (11), said fourth data block (4b) containing an eleventh information (11a) representative of the acceptance or rejection of the transport request, said second mobile communication unit ( 9) being configured to process said eleventh information (11a) and inform the user (10) of said acceptance or rejection of the transport request.