RFID Taxi Management at Heathrow Airport
29 January, 2004
category: Government, RFID
The UK airport operator, BAA, is to introduce a new taxi management system from IT services provider, Steria, for London’s Heathrow Airport. The solution aims to improve BAA’s ability to monitor and manage taxis and is based on wireless RFID technology with mobile devices, replacing an existing PC-based system.
Tailored to meet BAA’s specific needs, the system draws on a core system already installed by Steria at Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris. Using automatic vehicle identification technology from NEDAP which identifies both a vehicle and its driver, BAA will be able to manage taxis and drivers. The airport operator will also use the system to predict customer demand and despatch taxis via handheld devices which are used by taxi management agents at both the feeder park and terminal ranks. The solution uses wireless communication links that are less intrusive than a cable-based.
The flexibility of the system means that BAA will be able to respond to any unplanned factors affecting the despatch of taxis, such as roadworks between the feeder park and terminals. This is vital to ensure the optimum numbers of taxis on the ranks at each airport terminal. The taxi drivers themselves will also benefit from improved management and user information.
Technology Partners
“Our existing system has reached the end of its useful life in both hardware and software terms,” explained BAA Plc’s onward travel manager, Steve Cumber. The automatic vehicle and driver identification technology is to be provided by Steria’s partner, NEDAP, an RFID (radio frequency identification) technology manufacturer and systems developer. Another of Steria’s partners, WPS, will supply the barriers and payment equipment.
“The wireless nature of the system opens up a number of possibilities for enhanced airport vehicle management without the need for laying power or data cables, and its flexibility means that BAA can expand and enhance the system as future growth dictates,” commented Guy Lambert, director of Steria’s system integration business in the UK.
Steria has previously developed car park management systems for airports in Frankfurt, Paris (Charles de Gaulle and Orly airports), Lyon St Exupéry, and Geneva. The firm has implemented road traffic management systems for motorway management companies in France (ESCOTA, SAPRR, SANEF, AREA), Luxembourg, Malaysia, Singapore, and Switzerland, as well as by-pass systems for large agglomerations including Lille, Toulouse and Geneva.
For additional information:
- Visit BAA at http://www.baa.com
- Visit Steria at http://www.steria.co.uk
- Visit NEDAP at http://www.nedap.com
Source: Steria Limited
Copyright 2003 UsingRFID.com
Reprinted with permission from Using RFID (http://www.usingrfid.com/news)
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