An international taxi cab evaluation: Comparing Madrid with London, New York, and Paris

Abstract

Taxi cabs are a key feature of daily life in Madrid, which is one of the most important European cities. An exploratory study was undertaken in order to evaluate the quality of Madrid's taxi cab industry.This paper analyses the current situation by using the Taxi Cab Management Model (TCMM) which identifies the key processes for managing and operating a taxi cab service in any international city. The model provides a benchmark for measuring performance against other capital cities in developed nations. By comparing the results of this analysis with similar case studies of London, New York and Paris, areas of best practice are identified, as well as possible operational improvements.The study concludes that the Madrid taxi cab industry is ahead of cities like London, New York and Paris in terms of IT integration within the industry, but that some key issues need to be reviewed e.g. the potential for a more centralised fleet management system. One of the best features of the Madrid taxi cab industry was found to be the test for candidate drivers. It is well designed in terms of its user interface (candidates do not need to be computer literate), it has a large bank of questions (up to 6000) that are used randomly to generate examinations, and it offers a highly efficient way to assess candidates. Copyright # 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. MADRID TAXI CAB INDUSTRY OVERVIEWThe main means of transport in Madrid are the national rail network, the bus service and one of the largest underground networks in the world. In that context, Madrid's taxi cab industry has the challenge of retaining existing customers and acquiring new ones. In order to do this, the 15 646 taxi cabs (FPTM, 2005) that compose Madrid's taxi fleet need to continuously improve their service by innovation in areas such as security and emergency services e.g. installation of CCTV and GPS to support security and improve response times (El Pais, 22 October 2007); the requests of taxi drivers for higher weekend and nighttime fares and the introduction of clean technologies within the taxi cabs such as the compressed natural gas (CNG) engines that will be partially subsidised by the government (Sustainable Affairs, 2007).The main stakeholders involved in Madrid's taxi cab industry are the government that regulates the industry and its fares, taxi associations, the drivers and customers.Licences are held by the taxi drivers, rather than by companies; most of the drivers are selfemployed. This clearly has an impact in the industry and how it is organised and managed e.g. taxi associations are essential to defend and support drivers. On the other hand, government public transport departments have an obligation to protect the general interests of Madrid's citizens by regulating fares, times and guaranteeing sufficient capacity to cover the demand. Problem definitionThe General Subdivision of the Taxi Office is the main regulatory body run by Madrid City Council. There are other departments with competences on the industry. Due to the administration structure i...

London taxi drivers: A review of neurocognitive studies and an exploration of how they build their cognitive map of London

“…The approach that London has taken to train and test their taxi drivers on the Knowledge as described above, is historically motivated and has been retained over centuries since its implementation, the major grid of the street network (i.e., the base network) and expect the knowledge of the minor street network (i.e., the secondary network) to be obtained through experience. Instead, taxi drivers are also required to demonstrate knowledge on other trade related areas, such as knowledge related to driving a car, professional regulations, safety and business management, a language test (Skok, 2004), fares and legislations (Skok & Martinez, 2010). Considering these alternative qualification requirements for Paris or Madrid, the London qualification scheme, that relies on a thorough knowledge of London streets, can be questioned as regards to its adequacy and value, in times of GPS systems that can guide navigation.…”

Learning The Knowledge: How London Taxi Drivers Build Their Cognitive Map of London

“…This concept of learning all possible points, their locations, the street names and how to flexibly plan routes and adjust to specific requirements is globally unique. In contrast, other cities, such as Paris (Prefecture de Police, Demarches & Services, 2002) or Madrid (Federación Profesional del Taxi de Madrid: Departamento de Formación, 2010; Skok & Martinez, 2010), often only require applicants of the trait to learn the major grid of the street network (i.e. the base network) and expect the knowledge of the minor street network (i.e.…”

“…the secondary network) to be obtained through experience. Instead, taxi drivers are also required to demonstrate knowledge on other trade related areas, such as knowledge related to driving a car, professional regulations, safety and business management, a language test (Skok, 2004), fares, legislations and personality (Skok & Martinez, 2010). Considering these alternative qualification requirements for Paris or Madrid, the London qualification scheme, that relies on a thorough knowledge of London streets, can be questioned as regards to its adequacy and value, in times of GPS systems that can guide navigation.…”