Based on the predicted passenger flow from railway arrivals, the taxi dispatch platform at Shanghai Hongqiao Hub has been launched.
During peak hours and holidays, passengers at the Shanghai Hongqiao transportation hub often face issues such as slow ride-hailing responses and difficulty in finding rides. A new solution has recently been introduced.
On December 14th, a reporter from The Paper learned from Minhang District, Shanghai that the Hongqiao hub’s passenger flow monitoring and ride-hailing dispatch management platform has officially been launched. This platform enhances the precision and efficiency of ride-hailing dispatch, improving the night-time taxi experience for passengers during holidays.
The platform was jointly launched by the Minhang District Transportation Commission, the development unit Shanghai Urban Geographic Information System Development Co., Ltd., and major local ride-hailing platforms including Didi, Xiangdao, Cao Cao, and T3. It integrates data from multiple sources, including railway passenger flow, the number of empty ride-hailing vehicles within a 5-kilometer radius, ride-hailing order numbers at the train station, taxi waiting areas, and internal and external video feeds of the hub. Using intelligent algorithms, it can analyze and predict real-time passenger demand for rides and automatically send dispatch requests to the ride-hailing platforms, which can quickly respond by adjusting vehicle distribution to ensure passengers can easily hail a ride.
“On ordinary days, ride-hailing services at Hongqiao hub can meet demand. However, in past years during large passenger flow events at Hongqiao, particularly during holidays, ride-hailing dispatch often relied on experience without corresponding digital support,” an official from the Minhang District Transportation Commission explained. For example, during this year’s National Day holiday, the peak arrival passenger count at Hongqiao Railway Station reached 430,000. Statistics show that even while the subway was still operating, about 70% of arriving passengers opted for taxis or ride-hailing services late at night. Notably, after 11 PM, ride-hailing services have become the primary means of transport for passengers. Data indicates that during this year’s National Day holiday, approximately 120,000 ride-hailing orders were completed in the Hongqiao hub area, with an average of over 20,000 orders per day during peak dispatch times.
“With the platform now active, we can predict the demand for ride-hailing services based on railway arrival passenger flow and automatically assess the current number of available vehicles in the vicinity. If we determine that there may be insufficient vehicle supply, dispatch requests will automatically be sent to the ride-hailing platforms,” the official noted. Preliminary calculations show that the response time for ride-hailing requests has been reduced to under 15 minutes, representing a decrease of over 30% compared to the same period last year. Previously, passengers often waited too long for a ride, sometimes exceeding half an hour.
“In the past, there were information barriers between ride-hailing platforms and hub support units. Now that data can be shared, our support is more reliable,” a representative from Xiangdao stated.
The introduction of this platform not only addresses the issue of difficulty in hailing rides but also enhances the operational efficiency of ride-hailing platforms. The platform is currently undergoing further upgrades and optimizations. The Minhang District Transportation Commission has revealed plans to collaborate with taxi companies to promote the digital transformation of dispatch services, providing stronger support for passenger travel in the future.
