Abhishek Singhal

Challenges in Managing Centralized Taxi Dispatching at High-Volume Airports: Case Study of John F. Kennedy International Airport, New York City

This paper provides an evaluation of taxi dispatching procedures at New York Citys John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK). Curbside data collection and interviews with airport stakeholders were conducted to describe and quantify conditions for taxi drivers and passengers at JFK. A literature review was performed to identify operational similarities and differences between JFK and other high-volume airports with centralized taxi dispatching and to identify potential solutions for application at JFK. The outcomes of this study include (a) characterization of relationships between airportwide and terminal-level passenger demands and available taxi supply at JFK, (b) identification of sources of inefficiency in existing taxi dispatching procedures and taxi operations, and (c) identification of approaches for addressing supply–demand imbalances and next steps in evaluating those approaches.

Analysis of taxi demand and supply in New York City: implications of recent taxi regulations

This paper investigates temporal and weather-related variation in taxi trips in New York City. A taxi trip data-set with 147 million records covering 10 months of activity is used. It is shown that there are substantial variations in ridership, taxi supply, trip distance, and pickup frequency for different time periods and weather conditions. These variations, in turn, cause variations in driver revenues which is one of the main measures of taxi supply–demand equilibrium. The findings are then used to discuss the anticipated impacts of two recently enacted taxi regulation changes: the first fare increase since 2006 and the E-Hail pilot program which allows taxi hailing with smart phone applications. The fare increase is estimated to cause varying levels of revenue increase for different time periods. E-Hail apps are not expected to offer considerable improvements at all times, but rather when both adequate taxi supply and demand occur simultaneously.

Using Advanced Technologies to Manage Airport Taxicab Operations

Airports play a strategic role in economic development of cities and provide connectivity between business and commercial centers. Taxicab operations play a crucial role in determining the overall efficiency of an airports ground transportation system. However, airport-specific regulations pose challenges for managing taxicab operations effectively. The adoption of emerging technologies for managing taxicabs at airports offers faster, more efficient, and more cost-effective solutions to meet airport regulatory and operational requirements. In this case study, the operation of a central computerized taxicab dispatch system employed at John. F. Kennedy (JFK) International Airport in New York City is evaluated to identify observed limitations and associated avenues for improvement. Based on a review of state-of-practice taxicab dispatch systems deployed in airports worldwide, this research illustrates how modern technologies and procedural changes can be applied to optimize the taxicab operations at JFK and similar airports.