CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.0 Introduction

Taxis are an instantly recognizable form of transport, existing in almost every city in the world. Still the roles that are filled by taxis varies much from city to city. Regulation of the taxi industry has a long history. However this has not yet resulted in a universal solution. The taxi industry is complex and therefore it might be the case that there is no such solution at all. Taxis are an important part of the transport system in most developed and developing cities. Still “the taxi” does not refer to the same concept everywhere. A combination of local markets and heterogeneous market structures result in a wide set of challenges for authorities seeking to regulate the industry. Taxis are a part of a functioning community and although the concept of taxis is almost universally recognized very few persons in the general public actually know how the taxi industry works. Similarly, the term “taxi” does not mean exactly the same everywhere. It varies from country to country and in many cases from city to city within a country. There are several challenges that the taxi industry is faced with in the market solution. This includes safety, quality, competition with other modes, social issues and illicit behavior. The obvious solution is to regulate the industry. This report points at the rationale behind and experience with different forms of taxi regulation. Taxis provide a point-to-point service to the general public and are therefore part of “public transport”, even though the lack of regular schedules, routes and set stations – all features of public transport – gives it a semi-private character. As fixed service systems cannot support all travel demand, full area coverage is dependent on taxis. The definition will usually vary from country to country and include different market segments. In this report, the word “taxi” is defined as “a vehicle with a driver available for hire by the general public”, The vehicles are smaller than buses or coaches and registered for a maximum of nine persons. This is not the only definition of a taxi, it is one of many [1].

In this age of information, almost all fields of endeavour such as education, manufacturing, research, games, entertainment, and business treat information systems as a need. Indeed, every activity in our daily life today requires people to get involved in the use of information systems. To properly regulate taxi operators especially in an urban area, there is need for an urban taxi registration management system. This will enable the management of parks to be able to identify taxi drivers in the case of any problem.

1.1 Theoretical Background

The technology used to implement the system is database technology and the programming language used is Visual BASIC 6.0. The technology was chosen because of the need to capture and save taxi details to database. For instance the source code can be used to query taxi records by driver’s surname:

Private Sub Command2_Click()

Adodc1.Recordset.Filter = “DRIVERS_SURNAME='” & Text1.Text & “‘”

End Sub

Fig 1.1: Urban Taxi database

1.2 Statement of Problem

It is common to hear reports of criminal activities amongst taxi operators. There have been cases of over-speeding, abuse of customers, drunk driving, etc. this behavior persists because there is no effective system that captures the identity of drivers such that they can be reported and disciplined if found engaging in such vices. In addition, most drivers that are not qualified to drive in the urban area do so illegally, without proper registration. The consequence of this scenario is that the lives and properties of passengers are at risk. Also, the managers of the taxi parks manually record information and this makes it difficult to get relevant reports or to confirm needed information pertaining to the taxi. To overcome these problems, there is need for an automated database system to aid the registration and verification of the identity of taxi drivers. It is in view if this need that has necessitated the development of this research work.

1.3 Aim and Objectives of the Study

The aim of the study is to develop an automated information system for urban taxi registration management. The following are the specific objectives:

• To develop a software system that will aid capturing of taxi drivers information to a database.
• To enable AKTC to better manage the identity of taxi drivers.
• To develop a system that will present basic reports pertaining to taxi drivers when the database is queried.

1.4 Significance of the Project

The significance of the study is that it will enable Akwa Ibom Transport Company (AKTC) to effectively manage the identity of its drivers and to ensure that they are properly registered before they operate. It will help in providing useful information that will help the management of AKTC track down drivers that have been reported for one reason or the other. The study will also serve as a useful reference material to other researchers seeking for related information.

1.5 Scope of the Study

This study covers automated information system for urban taxi registration management using AKTC, Uyo as a case study.

1.6 Organization of the Research

This research work is organized into five chapters. Chapter one is concerned with the introduction of the research study and it presents the preliminaries, theoretical background, statement of the problem, aim and objectives of the study, significance of the study, scope of the study, organization of the research and definition of terms.

Chapter two focuses on the literature review, the contributions of other scholars on the subject matter are discussed.

Chapter three is concerned with the system analysis and design. It presents the research methodology used in the development of the system, it analyzes the present system to identify the problems and provides information on the advantages and disadvantages of the proposed system. The system design is also presented in this chapter.

Chapter four presents the system implementation and documentation, the choice of programming language, analysis of modules, choice of programming language and system requirements for implementation.

Chapter five focuses on the summary, constraints of the study, conclusion and recommendations are provided in this chapter based on the study carried out.

1.7 Definition of Terms

Urban:  refers generally to a region considered as a city.

Taxi: A car usually with a taximeter, whose driver is paid to transport passengers, typically for short distances.

Management: The organizing and controlling of the affairs of a business or a sector of a business

System: A combination of  related  parts working together to achieve a common goal

Passenger: one who travels in train or motor vehicle but who does not operate it.

Park: A place reserved for vehicles to pick and drop passengers.

Fare: Money paid for a transport ticket.

Transport: To convey persons or items from one place to another.

Regulate: To control or direct according to rule, principle or law.

Traffic: Pedestrians or vehicles on roads.