Data exchange platform for managing vehicles used for personal transportation

Abstract

A fleet management system has a communication and positioning module associated with each fleet vehicle, and a backend monitoring and control system located at a fleet data center in communication with each vehicle. The system monitors each trip automatically and generates time stamps at the start of a trip, a pick up location, a drop off location, and return of the vehicle to a garage at the end of a trip. Vehicle status information is collected and stored along with timestamps. The information is used to generate billing and payroll accounts, and also in monitoring conditions of fleet vehicles and generating alerts as needed. Tum-by-tum route instructions are provided to each vehicle.

What is claimed: 
     
         1 . A method for managing a plurality of vehicles for personal transportation of users, comprising:
 providing a software application for a smartphone having a touchscreen, the software application being adapted and configured to communicate with a server of a transportation company managing a plurality of vehicles;   storing on the server the locations of the plurality of vehicles;   displaying in real time the vehicle locations on a touchscreen of a user smartphone operating the software application;   selecting by the user with the touchscreen a specific vehicle from the plurality of vehicles;   requesting to the server by said selecting by the user with the touchscreen of the smartphone the dispatch of the selected vehicle to the location of the user;   dispatching the selected vehicle to the user location;   transporting the user with the selected vehicle to a user-selected location; and   automatically debiting by the server a prepaid account of the user after said transporting.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  which further comprises automatically transmitting the location of the user by the software application to the server. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1  wherein said displaying the vehicle locations is on a street map. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1  which further comprises contacting the driver of the selected vehicle by the user by touching the touchscreen. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4  wherein said touching the touchscreen is touching an icon representing the selected vehicle. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1  which further comprises displaying on the touchscreen the types of vehicles in the plurality of vehicles for selection by the user and dispatching a selected type of vehicle to the user location.