Analysis of Limousine Service in Riyadh

• Main Author: Saad A.H. Al-Gadhi
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier 1994-01-01
• Series: Journal of King Saud University: Engineering Sciences
• Online Access: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1018363918306044

Most countries in the world today operate something known as a taxi service. Taxi services are regulated by public bodies with respect to entry of new vehicles into the taxi fleet and fare control, among other things. This paper evaluates taxi (or the so called limousine) service in Riyadh with respect to entry control, fare control and operating characteristics. This was achieved by conducting two main surveys: taxi drivers’ trip diaries and a traffic field survey, and two limited questionnaires w’ith limousine passengers and firms managers.It appears that the current (1992) average taxi demand in Riyadh is about 4,080 cars, while the current supply is 5,860. Other interesting results were revealed by this study with respect to fare control and taxi operating characteristics. For example, only 27% of the limousine trips are charged using the fare meter, while the fare of the rest of the trips is set by bargaining, which turned out to be significantly less than the one that would be charged if the fare meter is used.