Care taxi reservation system, reservation method, and computer program

Abstract

To provide a nursing care taxi reservation system, a reservation method, and a computer program that can easily and efficiently match a user with a nursing care taxi and its driver. [Solution] The control unit 30 of the server 2 of the nursing care taxi reservation system 1 of the present invention executes reservation processing that enables a reservation person to make a reservation on the reservation management terminals 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a in two ways: a designated reservation mode, in which the person can reserve a nursing care taxi by specifying a specific driver, based on at least the vehicle information of the nursing care taxi and the information of the nursing care taxi driver stored in the database 40, and a general reservation mode, in which the person can reserve a nursing care taxi without specifying a specific driver.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a care taxi reservation system, a reservation method, and a computer program.

Background Art

[0002] In general taxis (general passenger car transportation business), so-called "cruising operation" is recognized, and vehicle dispatching by phone reservation is also commonly carried out. In this regard, conventionally, many vehicle dispatching systems that utilize lines such as telephone and radio to achieve vehicle dispatching have been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2) and have also been put into practical use.

[0003] On the other hand, a care taxi, which is a general passenger car transportation business limited to welfare transportation, is a pick-up and drop-off vehicle owned by a care taxi operator (including individual business owners, care service providers) who has obtained permission by law. Cruising operation is not recognized, and to board this care taxi, it is necessary to make a prior reservation by phone or the like to the care taxi operator.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] By the way, for a reservation to be successfully made for a care taxi, the first and most important factor is whether the care taxi is equipped with the necessary facilities to care for the user. In other words, when making a reservation for a care taxi, it is necessary to select a care taxi based on the care information of the user. Specifically, a care taxi equipped with facilities that meet the user's care needs, such as wheelchairs and stretchers, must be selected.

[0006] Furthermore, since care taxis may involve drivers touching the user's body for caregiving purposes, when booking a care taxi, selecting a trustworthy driver is just as important as selecting a vehicle.

[0007] Furthermore, while there is a growing shortage of drivers these days, care taxis are no exception. The number of drivers is insufficient to meet the demand, and therefore, when making a reservation by phone, drivers are often already in the middle of a service, making it difficult to get through. In addition, the number of vehicles that can accommodate wheelchairs, stretchers, and other special needs is limited. In short, due to both the driver shortage and the lack of suitable vehicles, it is not uncommon for reservations to take a long time to be finalized.

[0008] Furthermore, since reservations for care taxis are made by the user's care manager (care support specialist) or family members because the user requires care, the reservation is generally made by the user and the person making the reservation. In other words, in the case of care taxi reservations, the user and the person making the reservation are often different. Therefore, it can be difficult or time-consuming to convey accurate care information to the driver in advance by phone or other means when making a reservation. In addition, for those using a care taxi for the first time, information on what procedures to follow and where to make a reservation is not readily available.

[0009] Considering the unique characteristics of care taxis, which differ from regular taxis, matching users with care taxis and their drivers (caregivers) is extremely important when making reservations. Therefore, there is a need to develop a system that allows this matching to be done easily and efficiently, even by people other than taxi users.

[0010] This invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and aims to provide a care taxi reservation system, reservation method, and computer program that can enable easy and efficient matching between users and care taxis and their drivers. It also aims to provide a care taxi reservation system, reservation method, and computer program that can resolve the problem of difficulty in contacting drivers when making reservations, allow easy transmission of care information to drivers, and enable efficient reservation completion even by persons other than users. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] To solve the aforementioned problems, the present invention provides a care taxi reservation system for reserving a care taxi, A reservation management terminal that can be operated by the person making the reservation for a care taxi for a specific user who will be riding in the care taxi, and that can manage the reservation, A dispatch management terminal that can be operated by the care taxi operator, including the care taxi driver, and that can accept reservations for the said care taxi, The reservation management terminal and the dispatch management terminal are connected to a server accessible via wireless communication, Equipped with, The aforementioned server, A database that stores at least the following information: information regarding reservations for care taxis, information about the person who made the reservation, information about the passengers riding in the care taxi, information about the care taxi vehicle, and information about the care taxi driver. A control unit that processes the information stored in the database, the information input from the reservation management terminal, and the information input from the dispatch management terminal, and controls the transmission of information to the reservation management terminal and the dispatch management terminal, Includes, When the control unit receives a reservation request from the reservation management terminal specifying a particular care taxi driver registered in the database, it sends the reservation request to the dispatch management terminal of the specified driver, confirms the reservation upon receiving a reservation acceptance notification from the dispatch management terminal, and sends a reservation confirmation notification to the reservation management terminal. It is characterized by the following:

[0012] According to the above configuration of the present invention, a user can reserve a care taxi by specifying a particular driver for them based on information stored in the database (for example, at least vehicle information of the care taxi and information of the care taxi driver), thus enabling (facilitating) a simple and efficient matching between the user and the care taxi and its driver. This is highly significant, considering the unique nature of care taxis, where drivers may physically touch the user for care purposes, as it enables the selection of a trustworthy driver.

[0013] Furthermore, with the above configuration, reservations for care taxis can be finalized through the exchange of information between two terminals (a reservation management terminal and a dispatch management terminal). This eliminates the need for cumbersome phone conversations, avoids miscommunication and misunderstandings, and allows for easy and efficient processing of reservations without the need for interpersonal complications. Additionally, since the person making the reservation only needs to operate their own reservation management terminal, the problem of not knowing what procedures to follow or where to make a reservation is also resolved.

[0014] Furthermore, with the above configuration, reservation information entered from the reservation management terminal can be stored in the database. This means that even if a customer cannot contact the driver at the time of booking, the reservation information can be saved in the database to notify the driver of the reservation. On the other hand, drivers can check reservations later even if they were unable to receive them in real time due to being in the middle of a shuttle service. In addition, because information can be stored in the database, it becomes possible to easily recreate the same reservation as before by storing reservation history information in the database, and reservation information can also be managed.

[0015] In the above configuration, the person making the reservation may also be a specific user.

[0016] Furthermore, in the above configuration, the designated reservation may include any of the following: a first designated reservation in which a care taxi can be reserved by specifying a particular driver by reading a two-dimensional code with the imaging processing unit of the reservation management terminal; a second designated reservation in which a care taxi can be reserved by specifying a particular driver from among the drivers stored in the database associated with a particular user (for example, registered by the reservation user for a particular user); a third designated reservation in which a care taxi can be reserved by specifying a particular driver by accessing the server's website from the reservation management terminal and using the designated reservation button displayed on the website; and a fourth designated reservation in which a care taxi can be reserved by specifying a particular driver on the display screen of the reservation management terminal, which associates the estimated fare required for transportation by that driver with each care taxi driver.

[0017] In this case, the QR code for the first designated reservation may be obtained, for example, by the user receiving a leaflet with the QR code printed on it from the driver of the care taxi they booked and rode in through a general reservation (a reservation without specifying a driver) upon alighting, or by the user directly scanning the QR code displayed on the driver's dispatch management terminal with their own device (such as a mobile phone) upon alighting. At the time of scanning, the driver corresponding to the scanned information may be automatically registered (for example, stored in a database) as a driver that can be specified in the second designated reservation.

[0018] Furthermore, the driver information registered in the second designated reservation may be stored in the database as "favorites" data using a bookmark function. Also, the server website for the third designated reservation may display, for example, a list of drivers available late at night, a list of female drivers, or a link to a driver introduction page of a care taxi information center, and it is preferable that the user can specify a particular driver by touching the designated reservation button based on these displays. Here, the designated reservation button may be, for example, a deep link (a link that moves from a web page or smartphone app to specific content in an app). Drivers specified by the designated reservation button may be automatically registered as drivers that can be specified in the second designated reservation. Similarly, drivers specified by the fourth designated reservation may also be automatically registered as drivers that can be specified in the second designated reservation.

[0019] Also, in the above configuration, when the control unit receives an input from the vehicle dispatch management terminal indicating that the designated driver cannot receive a reservation request from the reservation maker due to a named reservation, it is preferable to cause the reservation management terminal of the reservation maker to display a message prompting the reservation maker to change the reservation date and time. In this case, in the message prompting the reservation maker to change the reservation date and time, it is preferable to also inform the available time of the designated driver. According to this, it is possible to achieve an efficient reservation establishment according to the availability status.

[0020] Also, in the above configuration, the control unit enables the vehicle dispatch management terminal to register other drivers who can share the reservations received by the driver of the nursing taxi, and when receiving an input from the vehicle dispatch management terminal indicating that the designated driver cannot receive a reservation from the reservation maker due to a named reservation, under predetermined conditions, a message introducing another driver registered by the designated driver in place of the designated driver may be displayed on the reservation management terminal of the reservation maker. In this case, the predetermined conditions may be, for example, that there is an input from the driver who cannot receive the reservation, through the vehicle dispatch management terminal, to introduce to the reservation maker the registered other drivers who can share the reservation. Alternatively, the introduction message may be automatically displayed on the reservation management terminal of the reservation maker unconditionally. Also, the message introducing another driver preferably includes an inquiry as to whether the reservation maker designates the other driver introduced. In this case, when the control unit receives a notification that the reservation maker designates another driver, it is preferable to transmit a vehicle dispatch request to the other driver. Such a driver introduction function is effective not only when the reservation schedule of the named driver is overcrowded, but also when the named driver does not operate in the pick-up and drop-off area of the reservation maker.

[0021] Furthermore, in the above configuration, the control unit may classify drivers into multiple categories based on predetermined criteria using information stored in the database, and when it receives a reservation from a user who made a reservation through a reservation management terminal, it may perform a priority dispatch process that assigns the vehicle for that reservation to a driver belonging to the highest-ranked category first. In this case, the predetermined criteria may be based on, for example, the driver's caregiving ability, the number of designated reservations, or the caregiving capabilities of the vehicle owned. This makes it possible to provide a higher level of caregiving service to users.

[0022] Here, priority dispatch processing may be implemented by shifting the dispatch requests for reservations to the drivers' dispatch management terminals over time for each category. By prioritizing dispatch assignments based on the time difference (late or early) of the dispatch requests, drivers with higher ranks can receive dispatch requests earlier, increasing the probability of securing a dispatch (reservation). Alternatively, priority dispatch processing may simultaneously send dispatch requests for reservations to the dispatch management terminals of all drivers who are the target of the reservation, and assign the dispatch to the driver in the highest-ranking category among the drivers who have accepted the reservation. In this case, within the same rank, it is first-come, first-served for securing a reservation, but between drivers of different ranks, the higher the rank, the higher the probability of securing a reservation.

[0023] In addition, in the above configuration, when the control unit receives a reservation from a reservation maker through general reservation or named reservation from the reservation management terminal, it provides care information regarding the user related to the reservation to the vehicle dispatching management terminal of the driver who is the target of the vehicle dispatching for the reservation, and displays a screen on the vehicle dispatching management terminal so that the driver can input whether he / she can accept the reservation based on the care information. In this case, examples of the care information include equipment and devices required by the user, the degree of care required by the user, and the like. According to this, the driver can surely grasp the care services required by the user, and thus can determine whether he / she can accept the reservation in comparison with the care facilities he / she has, and can surely realize the reservation of the care taxi without impairing the care services desired by the user.

[0024] In addition, according to the above configuration, when the control unit receives a reservation from a reservation maker through general reservation or named reservation from the reservation management terminal, it may display a screen on the vehicle dispatching management terminal that reflects the reservation in the schedule of the driver of the care taxi. In this case, as the display form of the schedule, for example, confirmed (accepted by the driver) general reservations, confirmed (accepted by the driver) named reservations, unconfirmed (in a state where reservation acceptance is pending) general reservations, and unconfirmed (in a state where reservation acceptance is pending) named reservations may be visually differentiated by changing the display state or the like. According to this, the driver can grasp the current status of the reservations at a glance and contribute to the efficiency improvement of the reservation process.

[0025] In addition, according to the above configuration, the control unit may display a screen on the reservation management terminal that enables the reservation maker to check the reservation status of the corresponding user. Such a display is beneficial when the reservation maker is, for example, a care manager who manages a plurality of users. In this case, examples of the reservation status include the reservation application status from the user, the reservation completion status, the reservation cancellation history, and the like.

[0026] Furthermore, the present invention also provides a reservation method to be executed by the aforementioned care taxi reservation system, and a computer program to cause a computer to execute the said method. [Effects of the Invention]

[0027] According to the present invention, it is possible to enable easy and efficient matching between users and care taxis and their drivers. Furthermore, it resolves the problem of difficulty in contacting drivers when making reservations, making it easy to convey care information to drivers, and allowing even people other than users to efficiently complete reservations. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0028] [Figure 1] This is a schematic overall configuration diagram of a care taxi reservation system according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] Figure 1 is a block diagram showing the schematic configuration of the care taxi reservation system. [Figure 3] This figure shows the information stored in the server database of the care taxi reservation system shown in Figure 1. [Figure 4] This flowchart shows the overall flow of the reservation and dispatch process between the reservation management terminal, the server, and the dispatch management terminal. [Figure 5] These are the display screens on each terminal's display unit obtained at each stage of the care taxi reservation and dispatch process using the care taxi reservation app. [Figure 6] These are the display screens obtained at each stage of the specific reservation process performed by launching the corresponding application on the reservation management terminal. [Figure 7] This is the screen displayed when the person who made the reservation touches the "Reservation Status" button. [Figure 8] Examples of reservation formats for the first and third designated reservations are shown below. [Figure 9] An example of a reservation format for the second designated reservation is shown below. [Figure 10] An example of a reservation format for the fourth designated reservation is shown below. [Figure 11] This is a flowchart of the reservation process that takes place between the reservation management terminal and the server. [Figure 12] This shows the first example of reservation processing on the server. [Figure 13] Here is a second example of reservation processing on the server. [Figure 14] An example of a designated reservation process is shown below. [Figure 15] Here is an example of the logic for priority dispatching. [Figure 16] This shows the first example of the priority vehicle dispatch process in general reservation processing. [Figure 17] This shows a second example of the priority vehicle dispatch process in general reservation processing. [Figure 18] This shows the screen of the caregiving taxi driver app. [Figure 19] This shows the reservation notification screen and schedule screen of the care taxi driver app. [Figure 20] This is the notification screen displayed on the reservation management terminal when the "Request Time Change" button is touched. [Figure 21] (a) is the screen for adding a companion displayed on the dispatch management terminal, (b) is the screen for selecting a companion displayed on the dispatch management terminal, (c) is the reservation details screen displayed on the companion's dispatch management terminal when a companion is requested, and (d) is the notification screen displayed on the reservation management terminal when a companion is introduced. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0029] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1. System Overview Figure 1 shows an example of a care taxi reservation system 1 that can communicate with a cloud system 4 via a communication means (network) 10 and allows users to reserve a care taxi by processing data on a computer according to a predetermined algorithm. This care taxi reservation system 1 comprises at least a cloud server 2 (hereinafter simply referred to as "server") that is connected to a cloud system (for example, an existing information system such as Google Maps®) 4 that can access mobility data including location information and traffic congestion information; dispatch management terminals 9a and 9b that are connected to the server 2 via the network 10 and perform dispatch management such as receiving and managing care taxi dispatch reservations; and reservation management terminals 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, and 7a that are connected to the server 2 via the network 10 and can manage care taxi reservations (dispatch reservations).

[0030] In Figure 1, the dispatch management terminals 9a and 9b, which can access the server 2 via the communication means 10, are terminals owned and operated by the care taxi operator 9, including the drivers of the care taxis. The dispatch management terminals 9a and 9b are, for example, terminal devices installed inside the taxi or portable terminals carried by the taxi driver, and are also called driver terminals. Here, the care taxi operator 9 includes operators who manage the dispatch of multiple care taxis, individual business owners who operate a care taxi business, or individuals (such as employees) who have a predetermined business relationship with operator 8. In addition, the reservation management terminals 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, and 7a, which can access the server 2 via the communication means 10, are terminals owned and operated by the person making the reservation to use the care taxi for a specific user. Specifically, as an example, reservation management terminals 5a and 5b are terminals installed in care facility 5 where reservations for care taxis are made, or are mobile terminals of persons belonging to care facility 5; reservation management terminals 6a and 6b are terminals installed in hospital 6 where reservations for care taxis are made, or are mobile terminals of persons belonging to hospital 6; and reservation management terminal 7a is a mobile terminal owned by a user 7 who makes a reservation for a care taxi and actually rides in the care taxi (if the person making the reservation is the specific user) or a family member of user 7. Here, care taxi operators and sole proprietors (or employees) are given as examples of parties on the dispatch management side, and care facilities, hospitals, and users requiring care are given as examples of parties on the reservation management side, but the parties on the dispatch management side and reservation management side are not limited to these.

[0031] Furthermore, in Figure 1, the communication means 10 is used to exchange information between terminals 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 9a, 9b and server 2, and may be either wired or wireless communication. Examples of such communication means 10 include the internet, wired cable lines, wired telephone lines, mobile phone lines, and WiFi lines. Also, in Figure 1, terminals 5a, 6a, and 9a are shown as tablet terminals, and terminals 5b, 6b, 7a, and 9b are shown as smartphones, but the type of terminal is not limited to these.

[0032] In this embodiment, we describe an example in which the server 2 outputs the dispatch reservation completion result, etc., by computer processing using a predetermined algorithm, based on reservation (dispatch) related information transmitted from terminals 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 9a, 9b via the communication means 10. However, it is also possible for terminals 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 9a, 9b, or the server 2, to execute such a reservation method on their own, without going through the communication means 10. Furthermore, the present invention may exist not in the form of a system, but as a computer program product (recording medium) that stores a computer program for executing such a care taxi reservation method.

[0033] Figure 2 shows a schematic block diagram of the care taxi reservation system 1 of Figure 1. As shown in the figure, the reservation management terminals 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, and 7a each have an HTTP communication unit 21 that enables communication with the communication means 10, a display unit 22 that displays various information related to care taxi reservations, an operation input unit 23 for the user to operate and input information, an imaging processing unit 24 that captures and processes necessary information such as two-dimensional codes as images, a storage unit 25 that stores at least the care taxi reservation application (application software that handles reservation processing on the reservation management terminals 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, and 7a) 25a, and a control unit (CPU) 20 that controls the operation of each of these components. The operation input unit 23 can be, for example, a touch panel, a keyboard, or a mouse.

[0034] Each dispatch management terminal 9a, 9b (driver terminal) includes an HTTP communication unit 52 that enables communication with the communication means 10, a display unit 53 that displays various information related to reservations (dispatch), an operation input unit 54 for the care taxi business (driver, etc.) to input information, an imaging processing unit 55 for capturing and processing reservation (dispatch) related information as an image, a storage unit 51 that stores at least the driver schedule 51a and the care taxi driver application (application software that handles dispatch processing etc. on the dispatch management terminal 9a, 9b side) 51b, and a control unit (CPU) 50 that controls the operation of each of these components based on the care taxi driver application 51b. The operation input unit 55 can be, for example, a touch panel, a keyboard, or a mouse. The driver schedule 51a stores backup reservations accepted by the driver so that reservations can be referenced even when the driver is offline, and also stores the driver's personal schedule.

[0035] Server 2 includes an HTTP communication unit 35 that enables communication with the communication means 10, a storage unit 36 ​​that stores a control program 36a that controls Server 2 and the entire system 1, a database 40 that contains at least various data necessary for booking a care taxi, and a control unit (CPU) 30 that controls the operation of each of these components. The control unit 30 also executes such a control program 36a, processes the information stored in the database 40, the information input from the reservation management terminal, and the information input from the dispatch management terminal, and creates records for tables containing information corresponding to each work stage of a series of reservation and dispatch procedures to be displayed on the display units 22, 53 of the reservation management terminals 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a and / or dispatch management terminals 9a, 9b, and also controls the transmission of information to the reservation management terminals and dispatch management terminals via the HTTP communication unit 35.

[0036] Functionally, the control unit 30 includes at least a reservation acceptance unit 30a that accepts reservations from reservation management terminals 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a; a database update unit 30b that updates information to be stored in the database 40 based on input information from reservation management terminals 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a and dispatch management terminals 9a, 9b; a designated reservation processing unit 30c that performs a designated reservation processing, described later, which allows the reservation holder to specify a particular driver when making a reservation for a care taxi based on at least the vehicle information and driver information of the care taxi stored in the database 40; a priority reservation processing unit 30d that performs a priority dispatch processing, described later, which prioritizes the allocation of dispatches related to the reservation, starting with drivers belonging to higher-ranked categories; and a notification management unit 30e that manages various notifications to reservation management terminals 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a and dispatch management terminals 9a, 9b.

[0037] The database 40 on server 2 stores the information necessary for a series of reservation procedures for care taxis and includes at least a company information table (TBL) 40a, a vehicle information table 40b, a driver table 40c, a facility table 40d, a reservation table 40e, a user table 40f, a favorites table 40g, a registered location table 40h, a reservation table 40i, and a fare setting table 40j.

[0038] 2. Database Configuration Next, referring to Figure 3, we will describe in detail the database 40 on server 2 shown in Figure 2. The company information table 40a, vehicle information table 40b, driver table 40c, and fare setting table 40j are tables that mainly store information related to dispatch management, while the facility table 40d, reservation table 40e, user table 40f, favorites table 40g, and registered location table 40h are tables that mainly store information related to reservation management. All of these tables 40a, 40b, 40c, 40d, 40e, 40f, 40g, 40h, and 40j on the dispatch management side and reservation management side are associated (linked) with the reservation table 40i, and some of the registration information (update information) from tables 40a, 40b, 40c, 40d, 40e, 40f, 40g, 40h, and 40j are reflected in the reservation table 40i (the registration information is reflected in each other).

[0039] Specifically, the company information table 40a stores information about the care taxi business (company). Examples of information stored in the company information table 40a include, for example, the company ID as a unique ID for the company information table record, the company name, the company email address, the company telephone number, the company address, the taxi company's website (HP), the type of company, and the code for the service area where reservations and dispatches can be handled. Even in the case of a driver who is a self-employed individual not belonging to a company, their trade name may be registered as the company name.

[0040] The vehicle information table 40b stores information about the vehicle used for the care taxi service. Examples of information stored in the vehicle information table 40b include, for example, the vehicle ID as a unique ID for each vehicle information table record, the company ID (which links to the company information table record, thus linking the vehicle information record to the company information record), the type of vehicle, the type of service, the long-term care insurance associated with the vehicle, the vehicle's license plate, a front photo of the vehicle, a side photo of the vehicle, a rear photo of the vehicle, and the number of passengers accompanying the vehicle. Here, the type of service refers to the types of services that can be provided in relation to the vehicle, such as reclining wheelchairs, stretchers, and universal design (UD) taxis.

[0041] The driver table 40c stores information about the drivers of the care taxis. Examples of information stored in the driver table 40c include, for example, the driver ID as a unique ID for the driver table record, the login ID associated with the driver, the password associated with the driver, the vehicle ID that links to the record in the vehicle information table (so that the driver information record is linked to the vehicle information record), the company ID that links to the record in the company information table (so that the driver information record is linked to the company information record), the driver's name, the driver's gender, the driver's date of birth, the driver's email address, the driver's mobile phone number, the driver's photo, the driver's address, the driver's overall rating (rating by users), and whether the driver accepts mass dispatch in the priority dispatch process described later. This includes flags indicating whether the driver accepts reservations ("acceptable" if accepted, "unacceptable" if not), a designated reservation flag indicating whether the driver accepts designated reservations ("acceptable" if accepted, "unacceptable" if not), a same-day reservation flag indicating whether the driver accepts same-day reservations (reservations for the day the user will be riding) ("acceptable" if accepted, "unacceptable" if not), a referral option flag indicating whether the driver can introduce other drivers who can share the reservations the driver has received ("acceptable" if supported, "unacceptable" if not), the plan specified by the care taxi reservation app (the driver's membership plan), the ID of the driver's client, the ID of the driver's client's contact person, and the IDs of the driver's fellow drivers (other drivers registered to share the reservations the driver has received). Multiple fellow drivers can be registered.

[0042] The facility table 40d stores information about the facilities used by the user. Examples of information stored in the facility table 40d include the facility ID as a unique ID for the facility table record, the facility name, the facility address, the facility's telephone number, and a valid flag.

[0043] The reservation table 40e stores information about the reservation holder. The reservation holder is basically the person who reserves a care taxi on behalf of the person receiving care (taxi user), and is often an employee of the facility, but may also be a family member of the person receiving care or the person receiving care themselves. Examples of information stored in the reservation table 40e include, for example, the reservation holder ID as a unique ID for the reservation holder table record, the facility ID that links to the facility table record (this links the reservation holder information record to the facility information record), the login ID associated with the reservation holder, the password associated with the reservation holder, the name of the facility used by the reservation holder, the reservation holder's name, the reservation holder's email address, the reservation holder's phone number, the facility avatar used by the reservation holder, the address of the facility used by the reservation holder, a photo related to meeting with the care taxi, notes to be noted related to meeting with the care taxi, the reservation holder's occupation, and a role indicating the reservation holder's role. Here, the reservation holder's occupation can be selected from, for example, care manager, social worker, staff, the person themselves or their family, etc. The role is selected from options such as administrator or general staff, and according to this role, the control unit 30 defines the content to be displayed on the display unit 22 of the reservation management terminal (content of output information; display range).

[0044] The user table 40f stores information about the user (the person riding in the care taxi, for example, the person receiving care). Examples of information stored in the user table 40f include, for example, the user ID as the unique ID of the user table record, the facility ID that links to the facility table record (so that the user information record is linked to the facility information record), the reservation ID that links to the reservation table record (so that the user information record is linked to the reservation information record), the user's gender, the user's date of birth, the names of the user's family members, the email address for contacting the user, the user's care level, the services required for the user, the number of caregivers required for the user, the user's weight, any contact information regarding the user, the user's telephone number, whether the user uses welfare taxi vouchers, and whether the user has a disability certificate for discounts. Here, the services required for the user are selected from options such as wheelchairs, reclining wheelchairs, stretchers, and universal design taxis.

[0045] The Favorites Table 40g uses a bookmark function to store information about each user's "favorite" drivers. The information stored in the Favorites Table 40g includes, for example, the Favorites ID as a unique ID for the Favorites Table record, the User ID which links to the record in the User Table (to link to the User Table), and the Driver ID which links to the record in the Driver Table (to link to the Driver Table). For example, if a user makes a reservation and rides with a specific driver, that driver is automatically registered in the Favorites Table 40g as that user's "favorite" driver.

[0046] The registration location table 40h stores registration information for locations necessary for users to utilize the care taxi service. Registration location data is registered for each user associated with a facility. Examples of information stored in the registration location table 40h include, for example, the registration location ID as a unique ID for the registration location table record, the facility ID that links to the facility table record (this links the registration location information record to the facility information record), the user ID that links to the user table record (this links the registration location information record to the user information record), the registration location name, the address of the registration location, the longitude of the registration location, the latitude of the registration location, the number of stairs or steps at the registration location, a photo of the registration location, notes about the registration location, the creation date and time of the registration location information, the update date and time of the registration location information, the meeting place at the registration location, and details of the meeting place at the registration location.

[0047] The reservation table 40i stores various information about the reservation, with one record created for each reservation. Examples of information stored in the registration location table 40h include, for example, the reservation ID as the unique ID of the reservation table record, the facility ID that links to the facility table record (so that the reservation information record is linked to the facility information record), the user ID that links to the user table record (so that the reservation information record is linked to the user information record), the user's name, the user's phone number, the reservation user ID that links to the reservation user table record (so that the reservation information record is linked to the reservation user information record), information on whether the care taxi reservation is one-way or round-trip, the reservation ID for the return trip of the care taxi (only for round-trip reservations), the registration location ID of the pick-up location and the registration location ID of the destination that links to the registration location table record (so that that the reservation information record is linked to the registration location table), the date and time of the care taxi use, the reservation status of the care taxi, and the number of passengers in the care taxi. Furthermore, it includes the number of people required to assist the user, the user's care level, contact information, and the services required for the user, and this data is copied from user table 40f at the time of booking. In addition, it includes the actual arrival time of the pick-up and destination of the care taxi, the type of booking, the date and time the booking information was created, the driver ID (linking to the driver table record, so that the booking information record is linked to the driver information record), the vehicle ID (linking to the vehicle information table record, so that the booking information record is linked to the vehicle information record), the area code of the departure point related to the booking, the area code of the destination related to the booking, the designation flag for designated bookings, and the site code.Furthermore, the fare information includes the confirmed transportation fare for the care taxi, the estimated transportation fare for the care taxi, the assistance fee for getting in and out of the vehicle for the user's hospital visits, the assistance fee for the user inside the building, the assistance fee for the user climbing stairs, the fee per caregiver other than the driver, the fee for a nurse escort, the wheelchair rental fee, the reclining wheelchair rental fee, and the stretcher rental fee. This data stores the estimated fare calculated or set based on the designated driver's fare setting table when a driver is designated based on the estimated fare described below. In addition, it may include the referring driver, i.e., the ID of the driver who referred another driver who can share the reservation. Here, the facility ID is stored in this reservation table 40i so that the facility administrator can retrieve all reservations. Reservation types include general reservations, designated reservations from favorites, designated reservations from the website, designated reservations from a two-dimensional code (e.g., QR code®), and referrals from friends. The reservation status is represented by a code. The statuses include: unconfirmed (1) and dispatching (2), confirmed (3) dispatched, picking up (4), arrived at departure point (5) and completed (6), and finally, cancelled (9). One of these statuses is selected and updated according to the situation.

[0048] The fare setting table 40j stores information regarding the fare setting of care taxis for each driver, which is necessary for calculating the estimated fare described later. Examples of information stored in the pricing table 40j include, for example, the driver ID linked to the driver table record (to link to the driver table), distance-based initial fare unit, distance-based initial fare, time-based initial fare unit, time-based initial fare, distance-based additional fare unit, distance-based additional fare, time-based additional fare unit, time-based additional fare, time-distance combined fare unit, time-distance combined fare, pick-up fee, basic wheelchair assistance fee, basic reclining wheelchair assistance fee, basic stretcher assistance fee, fee for assisting users getting in and out of the vehicle for hospital visits, fee for assisting users indoors, fee for assisting users going up and down stairs (fee for up to 2 floors, and for higher floors, a fee for each additional floor), fee per caregiver required in addition to the driver, fee for nurse accompaniment (e.g., time charge), wheelchair rental fee, reclining wheelchair rental fee, stretcher rental fee, etc.

[0049] 3. Reservation dispatch processing 3.1. Overall flow of reservation dispatch processing Figure 4 is a flowchart showing the overall flow of the reservation and dispatch process between reservation management terminals 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, server 2, and dispatch management terminals 9a, 9b. Figure 5 shows the progression of the display screens of reservation management terminals 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a using the care taxi reservation application 25a from reservation to actual vehicle use and arrival at the destination in the upper section, and the progression of the display screens of dispatch management terminals (driver terminals) 9a, 9b using the care taxi driver application 51b in the lower section.

[0050] First, when booking a care taxi, the user accesses the booking site on server 2 using booking management terminals 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, and 7a, opens the user page shown in Figure 5(a), enters the booking data on the input screens shown in Figure 5(b) and (c) (step S1 in Figure 4), then sends the booking data to server 2 on the screen shown in Figure 5(d) (step S2 in Figure 4), and receives a booking completion notification from server 2 indicating that the booking has been accepted, as shown in Figure 5(e).

[0051] When reservation data is sent to server 2, server 2 has the reservation acceptance unit 30a of the control unit 30 execute the reservation acceptance process (step S3 in Figure 4). Subsequently, server 2 executes the reservation arrangement process based on this (step S4 in Figure 4) and sends the reservation request (dispatch request) to the dispatch management terminals 9a and 9b of the corresponding care taxi operator (or the driver specified by the reservation holder in the case of a designated reservation) (step S5 in Figure 4). As a result, the display unit 53 of the corresponding dispatch management terminals 9a and 9b displays a reservation request notification screen as shown in Figure 5(A) (step S6 in Figure 4).

[0052] The reservation request notification screen shown in Figure 5(A) displays reservation information necessary for dispatching a vehicle, including information entered by the person making the reservation. Specifically, it displays information such as required services (reclining wheelchair, etc.), number of passengers, number of caregivers, care level, contact information, user's phone number, meeting place, details of the meeting place, whether or not a welfare taxi voucher is being used, whether or not a disability certificate discount is being used, and facility information. It also displays an "Accept" button 68 to accept the reservation, a "Schedule" button 69 to display the driver's own schedule, and a "Deny" button 70 to decline the reservation. A care taxi operator (hereinafter referred to as the driver for convenience) who receives a reservation request looks at this reservation request notification screen, checks their schedule using the "Schedule" button 69, and then, if they accept the reservation, they touch the "Accept" button 68 as shown in Figure 5(B) (step S7 in Figure 4). If they do not accept the reservation, they touch the "Deny" button 70. In this manner, when the control unit 30 receives a reservation from a reservation management terminal 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, or 7a, it provides information including care information about the user of the reservation to the dispatch management terminal 9a or 9b of the driver who is the target of the dispatch for that reservation, and displays a screen on the dispatch management terminal 9a or 9b that allows the driver to input whether or not they can accept the reservation based on that care information. Furthermore, when the control unit 30 receives a reservation from a reservation management terminal 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, or 7a, it displays a screen on the dispatch management terminal 9a or 9b that reflects the reservation in the schedule of the care taxi driver.

[0053] When a driver touches the "Accept" button 68, the dispatch management terminal (driver terminal) sends information to the server 2, along with the driver ID, indicating that the request has been accepted. Based on this, the server 2 executes the dispatch confirmation process (step S8 in Figure 4), and then sends a reservation confirmation notice to the reservation management terminals 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, and 7a. As a result, the reservation confirmation notice shown in Figure 5(f) is displayed on the reservation management terminals 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, and 7a of the person who made the reservation (step S9 in Figure 4).

[0054] Subsequently, as the scheduled date and time for use of this reservation approaches, and a predetermined time before the scheduled date and time (for example, 3 hours before), the server 2 (control unit 30) sends a reservation confirmation notification to the dispatch management terminals 9a and 9b of the driver who received the reservation request (step S10 in Figure 4). As a result, the reservation details are displayed on the display unit 53 of the dispatch management terminals 9a and 9b (step S11 in Figure 4), prompting the driver to pick up the vehicle. Such a display screen is shown in Figure 5(C). Based on this, when the driver touches the "Pick Up" button 71 on this display screen (step S12 in Figure 4), the server 2 sends a notification that the vehicle is being picked up to the corresponding reservation user's reservation management terminals 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, and 7a (step S13 in Figure 4). As a result, the display unit 22 of the reservation management terminals 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, and 7a displays a notification screen showing the vehicle being picked up, as shown in Figure 5(g) (step S14 in Figure 4).

[0055] As mentioned above, when the driver touches the "Pick Up" button 71 on the display screen shown in Figure 5(C), the display screen switches to a navigation screen, for example, and the "Confirm Reservation Details" button 72 and the "Arrived at Pickup Location (Arrived at Dispatch Point)" button 73 are also displayed on this screen. Such a display screen is shown in Figure 5(D). Subsequently, when the driver goes to the pickup location related to the reservation and arrives at the pickup location and touches the "Arrived at Pickup Location" button 73 on the screen (step S15 in Figure 4), the server 2 sends a notification of arrival at the pickup (dispatch) location to the corresponding reservation user's reservation management terminal 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a (step S16 in Figure 4). As a result, the display unit 22 of the reservation management terminal 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a displays an arrival notification screen (dispatch point arrival notification screen) as shown in Figure 5(h) (step S17 in Figure 4).

[0056] Subsequently, when the driver picks up the user at the designated pick-up location and heads towards the reserved destination, the navigation screen displays a "Destination Arrived" button 74 instead of the "Pick-up Location Arrived" button 73, as shown in Figure 5(E). When the driver arrives at the destination and touches the "Destination Arrived" button 74 to complete the payment process (Step S18 in Figure 4), the server 2 sends a notification of arrival at the destination to the corresponding reservation user's reservation management terminal 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a (Step S19 in Figure 4). As a result, the display unit 22 of the reservation management terminal 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a displays a destination arrival notification screen as shown in Figure 5(i) (Step S20 in Figure 4). This allows the reservation user, such as a nursing home, to confirm that the user, who is receiving care, has safely arrived at the destination. Server 2 sends various notifications to the reservation management terminal, but it may also simultaneously send notifications via email to contact email addresses of family members and others registered in user table 40f.

[0057] Furthermore, in the reservation process described above, server 2 updates the stored information in the corresponding tables 40a to 40j of database 40 each time it receives information from each terminal.

[0058] 3.2. Various reservation processing at the reservation management terminal 3.2.1. Reservation Data Entry Figure 6 shows the details of the display screen (screen on the display unit 22) from the input of reservation data to the transmission of reservation data to the server 2 (Figures S1 and S2 in Figure 4) at the reservation management terminals 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, and 7a. The person making the reservation (for example, an employee of a nursing care facility) first enters their login ID and password on a login screen (not shown) to open the home screen shown in Figure 6(i), and on this screen, they select the user who is the party to the reservation (for example, a person receiving care at the nursing care facility). Specifically, a list of users is displayed on the home screen shown in Figure 6(i), and the person making the reservation selects the user who is the party to the reservation (a specific user) from among these users. The users displayed in the user list are all users associated with the reservationer's reservation ID if the reservationer is a general staff member, and all users associated with the facility ID if the reservationer is an administrator. Whether the reservationer is a general staff member or an administrator is determined based on the "role" data in the reservationer table 40f of the reservationer, which is recognized by the login ID and password entered on the login screen.

[0059] When a user is selected on the user page, the user's details screen (corresponding to the user page shown in Figure 5(a)) is displayed, as shown in Figure 6(b). This screen references user table 40f and displays the selected user's name, care level, required services, number of caregivers, and contact information. From this screen, other tables on server 2 can also be referenced to display reservation status, registration location management status, favorite drivers, and more.

[0060] Next, the reservation holder needs to make a new reservation for the selected user on the display screen shown in Figure 6(b), and select the boarding location and destination. Such selections can be made from registered locations, reservation history, or a map. In this case, the reservation holder specifies the selection method by touching the "Select from Registered Locations" button 61, the "Select from Reservation History" button 62, or the "Select from Map" button 63 on the display screen shown in Figure 6(b). When the "Select from Registered Locations" button 61 is touched, registered locations are extracted from the registered location table 40h using the facility ID and user ID as keys and displayed in a list, from which the reservation holder makes a selection. On the other hand, when the "Select from Reservation History" button 62 is touched, combinations of previously reserved boarding locations and boarding areas are extracted from the reservation table 40i using the facility ID and user ID as keys and displayed in a list, from which the reservation holder makes a selection.

[0061] Figure 6(c) shows the display screen for registered locations (corresponding to the display screen shown in Figure 5(b)) obtained by touching the "Select from registered locations" button 61. The reservation holder selects a boarding location from the registered locations (stored in the registered location table 40h) displayed on this display screen. Once a boarding location is selected, a display screen for selecting a destination is displayed accordingly, as shown in Figure 6(d). This display screen also shows a list of registered locations registered and stored in the registered location table 40h. The reservation holder selects a destination from the registered locations displayed on this display screen. Once a destination is selected, a display screen for selecting the date and time of use and driver (corresponding to the display screen shown in Figure 5(c)) is displayed accordingly, as shown in Figure 6(e).

[0062] Next, the person making the reservation enters the date and time of use for the care taxi on the display screen shown in Figure 6 (e), and selects a driver if necessary. If a driver is selected (specified), the control unit 30 of server 2 executes the designated reservation process described later in the reservation process. On the other hand, if no driver is selected (specified), the control unit 30 executes the general reservation process described later in the reservation process.

[0063] After completing the input on the display screen shown in Figure 6(e), the user touches the "Go to Confirmation Screen" button 66 (see Figure 5(c)), and a reservation confirmation screen (corresponding to the display screen shown in Figure 5(d)) is displayed as shown in Figure 6(f). The user checks the contents of this display screen, and if there are no problems, touches the submit button 67 (see Figure 5(d)). This sends the reservation data to the server 2 (step S2 in Figure 4 as described above), and the server 2 sends a reservation completion notification to the reservation management terminals 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a. A reservation completion screen (corresponding to the display screen shown in Figure 5(e)) is displayed on the reservation management terminals 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, and the reservation application procedure is completed.

[0064] 3.2.2. Checking Reservation Status Figure 7 shows the display screen 80 obtained when the reservation holder touches the "Reservation Status" button 64 displayed on the user details screen shown in Figure 6(b) above. On this display screen 80, the reservation holder can check the current reservation status of the user to which the reservation pertains (application status, completion status, cancellation, etc.). In other words, the control unit 30 displays a screen on the reservation management terminals 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a that allows the reservation holder to check the reservation status of the corresponding user. Specifically, as described above, the control unit 30 identifies the reservation holder ID from the entered reservation holder login ID, and based on the reservation holder ID, if the reservation holder is a general staff member, it searches the reservation table 40i based on that reservation holder ID and displays the reservation status of the facility's users on the display screen 80, and if the reservation holder is an administrator, it searches the reservation table 40i based on the facility ID and displays the reservation status of all facility users on the display screen 80. In this case, for example, whether it is reserved, used, waiting for a vehicle, or dispatched is displayed in a display format that can be visually identified at a glance, such as by color coding. This type of reservation status check is beneficial, given the unique characteristics of the care taxi reservation system. For example, regular staff members can manage only the reservations of the users they are responsible for, while care managers and other administrators can centrally manage the reservations of all users at the facility.

[0065] 3.2.3. Appointment Booking On the display screen shown in Figure 6 (e), the user enters the date and time for using the care taxi and selects a driver as needed. If a driver is selected when the reservation process is executed, Server 2 processes the reservation in designated reservation mode, which allows the user to specify a particular driver. If no driver is selected when the reservation process is executed, Server 2 processes the reservation in general reservation mode, which allows the user to reserve a care taxi without specifying a particular driver. The designated reservation mode includes a first designated reservation mode in which a care taxi can be reserved by specifying a particular driver by reading a two-dimensional code (for example, a QR code (registered trademark)) with the imaging processing unit 24 of the reservation management terminals 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a; a second designated reservation mode in which a care taxi can be reserved by specifying a particular driver from among the drivers registered in the favorites table 40g and linked to the user; a third designated reservation mode in which a care taxi can be reserved by specifying a particular driver by accessing the website of server 2 from the reservation management terminals 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a and using the designated reservation button displayed on the website; and a fourth designated reservation mode in which a care taxi can be reserved by specifying a particular driver on the display screen of the reservation management terminals 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, which associates an estimated fare required for transportation by that driver with each care taxi driver.

[0066] 3.2.3.1. First and Third Designated Reservation Modes Figure 8(a) shows an example of a reservation format in the first designated reservation mode, and Figure 8(b) shows an example of a reservation format in the third designated reservation mode. In the first designated reservation mode shown in Figure 8(a), the reservation holder reads a QR code 82 printed on the driver's business card 79 or leaflet 81, or a QR code 82 displayed on the screen obtained by launching the application on the dispatch management terminals 9a and 9b of the care taxi driver, using the image processing unit 24 of their reservation management terminals 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, and 7a. This launches the care taxi reservation application 25a, and the reservation management terminals 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, and 7a can obtain a screen 84 shown in Figure 8(c) that displays the driver corresponding to the QR code 82 with a photograph. The amount of information in the QR code 82 is, for example, 3KB, and this QR code 82 contains the driver ID as information, as well as information for launching the care taxi reservation application 25a. On the other hand, in the second designated reservation mode shown in Figure 8(b), the reservation user accesses a website on the internet (for example, a care taxi information center) from the reservation management terminals 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a and selects a specific driver from among the multiple drivers displayed on screen 83 on the website (for example, the reservation user selects a driver at the request of the user who is receiving care). The reservation user then touches the designated reservation button 83a associated with each driver, and the driver ID associated with the selected driver is passed to the care taxi reservation app 25a. Based on this, the app is launched, and the screen 84 shown in Figure 8(c) can be obtained on the reservation management terminals 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a. On the screen 84 shown in Figure 8(c), when the user touches the "OK" button 86 to confirm the driver selection, this driver is registered (stored) in the favorites table 40g, and the normal reservation procedure proceeds with the display screens shown in Figure 6(a) to (d) above, followed by the display screen corresponding to Figure 6(e) above, as shown in Figure 8(d). At this time, the driver selection area 85 of this display screen already shows the selected driver based on the above reservation. When the reservation is confirmed in this state, data regarding the reservation, including the selected driver, is sent to the server 2.

[0067] 3.2.3.2. Second Appointment Reservation Mode Figure 9 shows an example of a reservation format in the second designated reservation mode. When a user touches the "∨" mark 87 in the driver selection area 85 of the display screen shown in Figure 6(e) above, a list screen 88 of favorite drivers associated with the user the user is responsible for is displayed on the display unit 22 of the reservation management terminals 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a. The driver information displayed on screen 88 is obtained by extracting data from the favorites table 40g. By selecting a specific driver here, the specified driver is displayed in the driver selection area 85 of the display screen shown in Figure 6(e). When the reservation is confirmed in this state, the reservation data including the specified driver is sent to the server 2.

[0068] 3.2.3.4. Fourth Designated Reservation Mode Figure 10 shows an example of a reservation format in the fourth designated reservation mode. When the user touches the "Select from Estimated Price" button 65 displayed in the driver selection area 85 of the display screen shown in Figure 6(e) above, a screen 89 is displayed on the display unit 22 of the reservation management terminals 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, as shown in Figure 10(a), which lists the drivers who can handle the reservation, determined based on the area code, along with the estimated price calculated using the price setting table. When the user selects a specific driver from among the multiple drivers displayed on this screen 89, a screen 90 displaying the details of that driver's price is displayed on the display unit 22, as shown in Figure 10(b). When the user touches the "Specify Driver" button 91 on this screen 90, the specified driver is displayed in the driver selection area 85 of the display screen shown in Figure 6(e). When the reservation is confirmed in this state, the reservation data including the specified driver is sent to the server 2. To achieve this, drivers must pre-configure their pricing (distance-based, time-based, pickup fee, reservation fee, etc.) on the settings screen when installing the app. This pricing information is registered (stored) in pricing table 40j and referenced when calculating the estimated fare based on the specified departure and destination locations.

[0069] 3.2.4. Flowchart for Reservation Processing Figure 11 shows a flowchart of the reservation processing that takes place between the reservation management terminals 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a and the server 2 in the reservation dispatch procedure described above. These processes can be implemented based on the care taxi reservation application 25a on the reservation management terminals 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a and the control program 36a on the cloud server 2. The execution entity may be the control unit 20 or the control unit 30, or both may perform the execution together. As shown in the figure, when a user launches the care taxi reservation app 25a on the reservation management terminals 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a (step S30 in Figure 11), the control unit 20 of the reservation management terminals 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a determines whether the app was launched via a QR code or a website (step S31 in Figure 11). Launching via a QR code or a website refers to launching the app by scanning a QR code 82 printed on the driver's business card 79 or leaflet 81 with the reservation terminal, as mentioned above. If the launch is via a QR code or a website (YES in step S31), that is, if it is a reservation in designated reservation mode, the control unit 20 sends the driver ID contained in the QR code or the driver ID received from the website to the server 2 via the HTTP communication unit 21 (step S32 in Figure 11). On the other hand, if the reservation is not initiated via a QR code or website (the answer is NO in step S31), that is, if it is a reservation in general reservation mode, the control unit 20 waits for data input from the reservation holder (step S38 in Figure 11).

[0070] When a driver ID is sent from the reservation management terminals 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, and 7a to the server 2, the server 2 searches the driver table 40c based on the received driver ID (step S33 in Figure 11) and sends information about the found driver (which may include name, gender, photograph, etc.) to the reservation management terminals 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, and 7a (step S34 in Figure 11).

[0071] When driver information is transmitted from cycle 2 to the reservation management terminals 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a in this manner, the driver information is displayed on the display unit 22 of the reservation management terminals 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a (step S35 in Figure 11). Next, the control unit 20 determines whether the reservation holder specifies a driver related to the driver information, that is, whether the "OK" button 86 is pressed. If the OK button 86 is pressed (YES in step S36), the control unit 20 temporarily stores the driver information, including the driver ID of that driver, in the internal memory (e.g., the storage unit 25) (step S37 in Figure 11). On the other hand, if the OK button 86 is not pressed (NO in step S36), the control unit 20 waits for data input from the reservation holder (step S38 in Figure 11).

[0072] Subsequently, the user enters reservation data such as the date and time of boarding and boarding location, as described above (step S38 in Figure 11). In the case of launching via QR code or website, the driver field is already filled in. After input, the entered reservation data is sent from the reservation management terminals 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a to the server 2 (step S39 in Figure 11). Based on the received reservation data, the server 2 executes the reservation acceptance process using the reservation acceptance unit 30a of the control unit 30 (step S40 in Figure 11; see also step S3 in Figure 4). This creates a new record in the reservation table 40i related to the accepted reservation. Specifically, the control unit 30 of the server 2 receives information such as the user ID, user ID, date and time of boarding, departure point, destination, driver ID, and reservation type from the reservation management terminals 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, and creates a new record in the reservation table 40i based on the received reservation data and the data in the related tables. Here, the reservation status of the record is 1.

[0073] Furthermore, after the user enters and submits the reservation data and the reservation procedure is completed, the control unit 20 of the reservation management terminals 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a sends the driver ID and user ID temporarily stored in internal memory to the server 2 if the reservation is a designated reservation (step S41 in Figure 11). Upon receiving this information, the server 2 adds a new record related to the favorite driver to the favorites table 40g (step S42 in Figure 11).

[0074] 3.3. Various procedures on the cloud server 3.3.1. Reservation Arrangement Processing Figure 12 shows a first example of the reservation arrangement process in Server 2. As shown in the figure, in the reservation arrangement process, when reservation data is sent to Server 2 from reservation management terminals 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, the control unit 30 of Server 2 executes the reservation acceptance process (step S50 in Figure 12; see also step S40 in Figure 11 and step S3 in Figure 4). This creates a new record in the reservation table 40i. Subsequently, the control unit 30 determines whether the received reservation is a designated reservation in designated reservation mode, which specifies a driver (step S51 in Figure 12). If it is a designated reservation (if the determination in step S51 is YES), the control unit 30 executes the designated reservation process (step S52 in Figure 12). On the other hand, if it is not a designated reservation (if the determination in step S51 is NO), the control unit 30 executes the general reservation process (step S53 in Figure 12).

[0075] Figure 13 shows a second example of the reservation arrangement process in Server 2. As shown in the figure, in the reservation arrangement process, when reservation data is sent to Server 2 from reservation management terminals 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, the control unit 30 of Server 2 executes the reservation acceptance process (step S50 in Figure 13; see also step S40 in Figure 11 and step S3 in Figure 4). This creates a new record in the reservation table 40i. Subsequently, the control unit 30 determines whether the received reservation is a designated reservation in designated reservation mode, which specifies a driver (step S51 in Figure 13). If it is a designated reservation (if the determination in step S51 is YES), the control unit 30 executes the designated reservation process (step S52 in Figure 13). On the other hand, if it is not a designated reservation (if the determination in step S51 is NO), the control unit 30 executes the general reservation process (step S53 in Figure 13). Furthermore, the control unit 30 determines whether a driver has been confirmed during the execution of the designated reservation process (step S54 in Figure 13). If a driver has not been confirmed (the determination in step S54 is NO), it proceeds to the general reservation process (step S53 in Figure 13). If a driver has been confirmed (the determination in step S54 is YES), it completes the designated reservation process.

[0076] In general reservation mode, the control unit 30 sends a dispatch request (reservation request) to drivers who are available in the service area, and drivers who are available accept the dispatch request. When searching for drivers who are available in the service area, the control unit 30 determines the area based on the pick-up address in the reservation table 40i and extracts drivers who are available in that area. Legal restrictions (service area) depend on the pick-up location. In general reservations, drivers are extracted based on these area conditions. In contrast, in designated reservation mode, the control unit 30 determines whether the designated driver is available (service area), and if it is outside the service area, it warns the driver that it is outside the service area and prompts them to introduce a partner (another driver who has been registered in the driver table 40c in advance as someone who can share reservations the driver has received). If the driver has not set this partner introduction option, the reservation user is given a message that the reservation is not possible because the designated driver is outside the service area (the reservation notification does not reach the driver). The following provides a detailed explanation of general reservation processing and designated reservation processing.

[0077] 3.3.1.1. Designated Reservation Processing Figure 14 shows an example of designated reservation processing on Server 2. As described above, when reservation data is sent from reservation management terminals 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, and 7a to Server 2, and the control unit 30 determines that the received reservation is a designated reservation in designated reservation mode, the control unit 30 checks the service area (service area) of the designated driver by referring to the corresponding area code in the company information table (step S60 in Figure 14), and if the pick-up location is within the service area, it sends a reservation request (dispatch request) to the dispatch management terminals 9a and 9b of the designated driver (step S61 in Figure 14). As a result, the dispatch management terminals 9a and 9b of the designated driver display a screen showing the reservation request details, as shown in Figure 5(A) above (step S62 in Figure 14). Here, the control unit 50 of the dispatch management terminals 9a and 9b determines whether the driver has touched the "Accept" button 68 (see (A) in Figure 5) (step S63 in Figure 14). If the driver has touched it (if the determination in step S63 is YES), it sends a reservation acceptance notification to the server 2 (step S65 in Figure 14) and also registers this reservation in the driver schedule 51a of the storage unit 51 (step S66 in Figure 14). On the other hand, if the driver has not touched the "Accept" button 68 (if the determination in step S63 is NO), the control unit 50 sends a reservation rejection notification to the server 2 (step S64 in Figure 14).

[0078] The control unit 30 of server 2 determines whether it has received a reservation acceptance notification from the dispatch management terminals 9a and 9b (step S67 in Figure 14). If it has received the notification (if the determination in step S67 is YES), it executes the dispatch confirmation process (step S69 in Figure 14) and sends a dispatch confirmation notification to the reservation users' reservation management terminals 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, and 7a (step S70 in Figure 14). On the other hand, if it has not received a reservation acceptance notification (if the determination in step S67 is NO), the control unit 30 sends a reservation failure notification to the reservation users' reservation management terminals 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, and 7a (step S68 in Figure 14). When the reservation management terminals 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, and 7a receive a reservation acceptance notification or a reservation failure notification, they display the notification content on the display unit 22 (step S71 in Figure 14).

[0079] 3.3.1.2. General Reservation Processing When the server 2 receives a reservation from a customer using the general reservation mode, where no driver is specified (designated), via the reservation management terminals 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, and 7a, the control unit 30 of the server 2 may classify drivers into multiple categories based on predetermined criteria, using the information stored in the database 40, and perform a priority dispatch process to assign the vehicle for this reservation to drivers belonging to the highest-ranked category first. In this case, the priority dispatch process may send the dispatch request for the reservation to the drivers' dispatch management terminals 9a and 9b in a time-shifted manner for each category. Alternatively, the priority dispatch process may simultaneously send the dispatch request for the reservation to the dispatch management terminals 9a and 9b of all drivers who are the target of the vehicle for the reservation, and assign the vehicle to the driver belonging to the highest-ranked category among the drivers who have received the reservation.

[0080] Figure 15 shows an example of the logic for such priority dispatch processing. As shown in the figure, when the control unit 30 of server 2 receives a general reservation from a customer in general reservation mode from the reservation management terminals 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a as described above, it stores it in the reservation table 40e and performs a matching process to extract drivers who can handle the request by comparing this information with the information stored in various tables 40a, 40b, 40c, such as the service area code, service type (wheelchair, etc.), number of passengers, whether or not a welfare taxi voucher is used, and whether or not a general reservation is accepted (75, 76 in Figure 15). The extracted drivers are then categorized to create a category group table 92. In the category group table 92, the extracted drivers are assigned to one of six category groups A to F according to the dispatch priority based on predetermined conditions. Here, the predetermined conditions are the driver's customer rating (rank A, B, C) and the number of reservations the driver has accepted in the current month (for example, whether the driver has accepted 5 or more reservations or less than 5 reservations in the current month). However, this is not the only condition; for example, the priority may be based on the rank of the plan (driver's membership plan) stipulated by the care taxi reservation app. Also, for the sake of fairness, drivers who have received a large number of reservations in the current month may be given a lower priority.

[0081] Next, the control unit 30 sends dispatch requests related to reservations to the drivers' dispatch management terminals 9a and 9b in a time-shifted manner for each category group. For example, dispatch request notifications are sent via email at 10-minute intervals for each category group. In this case, the notification is skipped for category groups to which no drivers have been assigned (groups with 0 people in the category group table 92). If a specific driver accepts a reservation and dispatch is confirmed during this time-shifted dispatch request notification period (in this case, a reservation dispatch is confirmed in category C), subsequent dispatch request notifications are stopped. Below, we will explain two examples of the logic flow for the priority dispatching process described above.

[0082] Figure 16 shows a first example of the priority dispatch process in general reservation processing. As shown in the figure, when the control unit 30 of server 2 receives a general reservation from a reservation user in general reservation mode from the reservation management terminals 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a as described above, it performs a matching process from the driver table 40c according to the departure area code, required services (wheelchair, etc.), number of passengers, whether or not a welfare taxi voucher is used, and whether or not a general reservation is accepted, and extracts available drivers (step S80 in Figure 16), and categorizes the extracted drivers (step S81 in Figure 16). Specifically, it creates a category group table (for example, the category group table 92 in Figure 15 mentioned above) that categorizes drivers according to predetermined dispatch priority rules. After that, the control unit 30 notifies drivers of dispatch requests starting with the drivers in the higher priority group (step S82 in Figure 16). The dispatch management terminals 9a and 9b of the drivers receiving this notification will display a screen showing the reservation request details, as shown in Figure 5(A) above (step S88 in Figure 16). At this point, the control unit 50 of the dispatch management terminals 9a and 9b determines whether the driver has touched the "Accept" button 68 (see Figure 5(A)) (step S89 in Figure 16). If the driver has touched it (if the determination in step S89 is YES), it sends a reservation acceptance notification to the server 2 (step S90 in Figure 16).

[0083] In connection with this, the control unit 30 of server 2 determines whether it has received a reservation acceptance notification from the dispatch management terminals 9a and 9b (step S83 in Figure 16). If it has received the notification (if the determination in step S83 is YES), it sends a reservation confirmation notification to the dispatch management terminals 9a and 9b of the driver who sent the reservation acceptance notification (and is therefore already selected as a dispatch target) (step S85 in Figure 16), and executes the dispatch confirmation process (step S86 in Figure 16). As a result, the reservation table 40i is updated. Specifically, the driver ID is registered and the reservation status is updated to 3 (dispatched). In addition, the control unit 30 sends a dispatch (reservation) confirmation notification to the reservation user's reservation management terminals 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, and 7a (step S87 in Figure 16). At this time, an email notification may also be sent to the email address registered in the user table 40f.

[0084] On the other hand, if the control unit 30 does not receive a reservation acceptance notification from the dispatch management terminals 9a and 9b (if the determination in step S83 is NO), it determines whether a predetermined time has elapsed (step S84 in Figure 16). If the predetermined time has elapsed (if the determination in step S84 is YES), it proceeds to step S82 and notifies the driver with the next highest priority after the driver who first notified the dispatch request of the dispatch request.

[0085] On the other hand, when a reservation confirmation notification is sent from the server 2 in step S85 of Figure 16 as described above, the display unit 53 of the dispatch management terminals 9a and 9b that receive this notification displays a screen indicating reservation confirmation, as shown in Figure 5(f) as described above (step S91 of Figure 16). As a result, the control unit 50 of the dispatch management terminals 9a and 9b registers this reservation in the driver schedule 51a of the storage unit 51 (schedule S66 of Figure 14). On the other hand, if the driver does not touch the "Accept" button 68 (if the judgment in step S63 is NO), the control unit 50 sends a notification of refusal of nomination to the server 2 (step S92 of Figure 16).

[0086] Next, using Figure 17, we will explain a second example of priority vehicle dispatch processing in general reservation processing. As shown in the figure, the control unit 30 of server 2 extracts available drivers in the same manner as in the first example (step S100 in Figure 17) and sends a dispatch request to all extracted drivers simultaneously (step S101 in Figure 17). The dispatch management terminals 9a and 9b of the drivers receiving this dispatch request display a screen showing the reservation request details, as shown in Figure 5(A) above (step S106 in Figure 17). At this point, the control unit 50 of the dispatch management terminals 9a and 9b determines whether the driver has touched the "Accept" button 68 (see Figure 5(A)) (step S107 in Figure 17), and if it has touched it (if the determination in step S107 is YES), it sends a reservation acceptance notification to server 2 (step S108 in Figure 17).

[0087] In this regard, the control unit 30 of server 2 determines whether a predetermined time (e.g., 10 minutes) has elapsed since the mass transmission of the dispatch request in step S101 (step S102 in Figure 17). If the predetermined time has elapsed (if the determination in step S102 is YES), the control unit 30 performs a driver selection process (step S103 in Figure 17). In this driver selection process, drivers to be dispatched are selected from among the drivers who have sent a reservation acceptance notification to server 2 within the predetermined time, based on priority. Specifically, the control unit 30 checks which category group each driver who has sent a reservation acceptance notification to server 2 within the predetermined time belongs to, and assigns the dispatch to the driver belonging to the category group with the highest priority. If there are multiple drivers in the same category group, the driver with the highest evaluation among them is selected. Such priority dispatch processing is beneficial in that a driver is determined within a predetermined time (e.g., 10 minutes), that is, it can contribute to the early completion of reservations.

[0088] Subsequently, the control unit 30, similar to the first example of the priority dispatch processing flow, sends a reservation confirmation notification to the dispatch management terminals 9a and 9b of the drivers selected by the driver selection process (step S104 in Figure 17), and executes the dispatch confirmation process (step S105 in Figure 17). As a result, the reservation table 40i is updated.

[0089] Furthermore, as mentioned above, when a reservation confirmation notification is sent from server 2 in step S104, a screen indicating reservation confirmation is displayed on the display unit 53 of dispatch management terminals 9a and 9b (step S109 in Figure 17), similar to the first example of the priority dispatch processing flow, and the control unit 50 of dispatch management terminals 9a and 9b registers this reservation in the driver schedule 51a (step S110 in Figure 17).

[0090] 3.4. Various processes at the dispatch management terminal 3.4.1. Basic screen display processing Figure 18(a) shows the home screen 100 of the dispatch management terminals 9a and 9b. This home screen 100 displays a designated reservation QR code display button 82 for the driver who owns the dispatch management terminal 9a or 9b, a schedule button 120 that can display the driver's own schedule, a reservation list button 121 that can display a list of accepted reservations, a notification button 122 that can display a list of notifications from the server 2 regarding dispatch requests, and a settings button 123 that can perform various management and settings (e.g., driver settings, vehicle management, partner management, reservation acceptance settings, etc.). When the designated reservation QR code display button 82 is touched, a screen 101 is displayed, as shown in Figure 18(b), which includes a readable QR code along with a photo of the driver. This QR code includes at least the driver ID and may also include a deep link to launch the care taxi reservation application 25a. When the schedule button 120 is touched, the driver's own schedule screen 102 is displayed, as shown in Figure 18(c), which refers to the reservation table 40i. The schedule display format may visually differentiate between confirmed (accepted by the driver) general reservations, confirmed (accepted by the driver) designated reservations, unconfirmed (reservation acceptance pending) general reservations, and unconfirmed (reservation acceptance pending) designated reservations by changing their display state. The driver's personal schedule stored in the driver schedule 51a may also be displayed on this screen. When the reservation list button 121 is touched, a list of accepted reservations, along with the reservation details and status, is displayed by referring to the reservation table 40i, as shown in Figure 18(d). When the settings button 123 is touched, buttons for various management and setting functions are displayed, as shown in Figure 18(e), allowing for settings such as driver settings, vehicle settings, companion management, fare settings, reservation acceptance settings, and function settings. In the partner management system, drivers can register other drivers who can share their reservations with them in the driver table 40c (the control unit 30 enables the care taxi driver to register other drivers who can share their reservations with them using the dispatch management terminal). In the event of a communication failure, the screens shown in Figures 18(c) and 18(d) are generated based on the driver schedule 51a of the memory unit.

[0091] 3.4.2. Reservation Processing Figure 19(a) shows an example of the reservation request notification screen shown in Figure 5(A) above for the dispatch management terminals 9a and 9b. The left side shows the reservation request notification screen for general reservations, and the right side shows the reservation request notification screen for designated reservations. These reservation request notification screens display information necessary for dispatching a vehicle, including care information and reservation information (reservation request details) about the user, including information entered by the reservation holder. Specifically, this includes information such as required services (reclining wheelchair, etc.), number of passengers, number of caregivers, care level, contact information, user's phone number, meeting place, details of the meeting place, whether a welfare taxi voucher is being used, whether a disability certificate discount is being used, number of passengers, facility, and care level. In addition, an "Accept" button 68 for accepting a reservation, a "Schedule" button 69 for displaying the driver's own schedule, and a "Do not accept" button 70 for declining a reservation are also displayed. In particular, the reservation request notification screen for designated reservations on the right side displays an additional "Request a Partner" button 130 and a "Request a Time Change" button 135 in addition to these buttons. A driver who receives a reservation request looks at this reservation request notification screen, examines the reservation by checking their schedule using the "Schedule" button 69, and then touches the "Accept" button 68 if they want to accept the reservation, or the "Do not accept" button 70 if they do not want to accept the reservation. The screen 102 obtained by touching the "Schedule" button 69 (corresponding to the screen in Figure 18(c)) is shown in Figure 19(b). This screen displays the driver's reservation information extracted from the reservation table, as well as the driver's personal schedule stored in the driver schedule 51a. When the control unit 30 receives a reservation from a reservation user via the reservation management terminals 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, it displays the reservation on the care taxi driver's schedule, for example, with a dotted line 102, so that it can be distinguished from other confirmed reservations. On this screen as well, buttons similar to those shown in Figure 19(a) are displayed, and the driver can also touch them.

[0092] The "Request Time Change" button 135 in designated reservations is used to notify the reservation holder or user of the change or adjustment of the reservation date and time if the specified reservation time is inconvenient (e.g., if a reservation has already been made). When this button 135 is touched, the driver's availability is notified to the reservation management terminals 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, and 7a. Specifically, when the "Request Time Change" button 135 is touched, the control unit 50 of the dispatch management terminals 9a and 9b searches for available time before and after the reservation by referring to the driver schedule 51a stored in the memory unit 51 and the reservation table 40i of the server 2 control unit 30, and notifies the reservation management terminals 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, and 7a of the available time via the server 2. An example of such a notification screen on the reservation management terminals 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, and 7a is shown in Figure 20. Here, the available time slot of 10:00 to 11:00 is displayed, along with a "Change Time" button 140 for the user to change their reservation time to that available time, a "Change to General Reservation" button 142 for the user to change their designated reservation to a general reservation without changing the time, and a "Cancel Reservation" button 144 for the user to cancel their reservation. In other words, when the control unit 30 of server 2 receives input from the dispatch management terminals 9a and 9b indicating that the designated driver cannot accept a reservation from a user using the designated reservation mode, it displays a message on the user's reservation management terminals 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, and 7a prompting the user to change the reservation date and time. When the user touches one of the buttons according to their intent, the server 2 performs the reservation arrangement process corresponding to the touched button. As an alternative, when making a designated reservation, the schedule of the designated driver may be displayed on the reservation management terminals 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, and 7a, in which case the user requests a reservation during the driver's available time.

[0093] Furthermore, the "Request a Partner" button 130 in designated reservations is a button that guides the reservation holder or user to introduce a partner, that is, to introduce other drivers who can share the reservation the driver has received. This button is displayed when the driver has set the partner introduction option to ON in the settings screen 104 and this has been registered in the driver table 40c; it is not displayed when it is OFF. As mentioned above, multiple partners can be registered in advance as partner driver IDs in the driver table 40c. This registration can also be done, for example, by reading the designated reservation QR code (Figure 18(b)) displayed on the dispatch management terminal of the partner driver using the built-in camera on the partner addition screen shown in Figure 21(a).

[0094] When a designated driver is unable to accept a reservation for any reason and the user touches the "Request a Partner" button 130, the server 2, upon receiving this information, displays a screen on the reservation management terminal as shown in Figure 21(d). This screen displays a "Introduce a Partner" button to approve the dispatch by a partner driver, a "Change to General Reservation" button 142 for the user to change their designated reservation to a general reservation without changing the time, and a "Cancel Reservation" button 150 for the user to cancel their reservation. The user touches one of the buttons according to their intention, and the server 2 performs the reservation arrangement process corresponding to the touched button. If the "Introduce a Partner" button is selected, the dispatch management terminal, upon receiving this information via the server 2, continues the reservation acceptance process. A partner selection screen as shown in Figure 21(b) is displayed on the display unit 53 of the dispatch management terminals 9a and 9b. When a specific colleague is selected on this screen using the "Request" button 159, a dispatch request is sent via server 2 to the dispatch management terminals 9a and 9b of the selected colleague driver. The dispatch management terminals 9a and 9b of the selected driver will display the name of the referring driver and the reservation details screen as shown in Figure 21(c). If the selected colleague driver accepts the reservation, they touch the "Accept Reservation" button 160 on this screen. In this case, the dispatch management terminal and server 2 process the reservation in the same way as a normal designated reservation. If the "Do not accept" button is selected, a notification to that effect is displayed on the referring driver's dispatch management terminal via server 2, and the same process continues when the referring driver selects another colleague driver.

[0095] Although embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the drawings, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above and can include various modifications. For example, the embodiments described above have been described in detail for the purpose of explaining the present invention in an easy-to-understand manner and are not necessarily limited to those having all the configurations described. Furthermore, it is possible to replace a part of the configuration of one embodiment with the configuration of another embodiment, and it is also possible to add the configuration of another embodiment to the configuration of one embodiment. In addition, it is possible to add, delete, or replace parts of the configuration of each embodiment with other configurations. [Explanation of symbols]

[0096] 1. Care Taxi Reservation System 2 servers 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a Reservation management terminals 9a,9b Dispatch management terminal 30 Control Unit 40 databases

Claims

1. In a care taxi reservation system for specifying future usage dates and times and booking a care taxi, A reservation management terminal operated by the person making the reservation for a specific user who will be riding in a care taxi, and capable of managing that reservation, A dispatch management terminal having a touch panel, operated by the driver of a care taxi, and capable of accepting reservations for the said care taxi, The reservation management terminal and the dispatch management terminal are connected to a server accessible via wireless communication, Equipped with, The aforementioned server, Information about users, including care information of users riding in a care taxi, Information about the person making the reservation for the care taxi, Information about drivers of care taxis, Information regarding the reservation, including the date and time of the reservation for using the care taxi, Includes a database that stores at least the following: The aforementioned information about the user includes the types of services the user requires when taking a taxi. The information regarding the aforementioned driver includes the types of services that can be provided to the user when taking a taxi. The information regarding the aforementioned reservation is stored with the user and the person making the reservation associated with each reservation. When a reservation is made at the reservation management terminal, reservation data including reservation holder identification information to identify the person making the reservation, user identification information to identify a different user from the reservation holder identification information, driver identification information to identify the driver, and the reservation date and time is sent from the reservation management terminal to the server. When the server receives the reservation data from the reservation management terminal, it registers the reservation data in the database and sends data including the type of service required by the user when boarding a taxi, obtained from the user information in the database based on the user identification information, and the reservation date and time, to the dispatch management terminal identified by the driver identification information, and displays the type of service required by the user when boarding a taxi and the reservation date and time on this dispatch management terminal. When the reservation is accepted by the dispatch management terminal identified by the driver identification information, the reservation management terminal identified by the reservation holder identification information displays a reservation confirmation notice. A care taxi reservation system characterized by the following features.

2. The care taxi reservation system according to claim 1, characterized in that the server, upon receiving the reservation data from the reservation management terminal, identifies the type of service required by the user when taking a taxi from the database based on the user identification information, and identifies the type of service that can be provided to the user when taking a taxi from the database based on the driver identification information, performs matching processing, and transmits reservation request information including the reservation date and time to the dispatch management terminal of the identified driver.

3. In a care taxi reservation system for specifying future usage dates and times and booking a care taxi, A reservation management terminal operated by the person making the reservation for a specific user who will be riding in a care taxi, and capable of managing that reservation, A dispatch management terminal having a touch panel, operated by the driver of a care taxi, and capable of accepting reservations for the said care taxi, The reservation management terminal and the dispatch management terminal are connected to a server accessible via wireless communication, Equipped with, The aforementioned server, Information about users, including care information of users riding in a care taxi, Information about the person making the reservation for the care taxi, Information about drivers of care taxis, Information regarding the reservation, including the date and time of the reservation for using the care taxi, Includes a database that stores at least the following: The aforementioned information about the user includes the types of services the user requires when taking a taxi. The information regarding the aforementioned driver includes the types of services that can be provided to the user when taking a taxi. The information regarding the aforementioned reservation is stored with the user and the person making the reservation associated with each reservation. The reservation management terminal is configured to transmit reservation data to the server, which includes the reservation date and time for the care taxi, user identification information that identifies the user who will ride in the care taxi, driver identification information that identifies the driver of the care taxi, and reservation holder identification information that identifies the person making the reservation for the care taxi, all of which are pre-registered in the database. The server is configured to register the reservation data in the database, identify the type of service required by the user when taking a taxi from the database based on the user identification information, and identify the type of service that can be provided to the user when taking a taxi from the database based on the driver identification information, perform matching processing, and transmit reservation request information including the reservation date and time to the dispatch management terminal identified by the driver identification information. The identified dispatch management terminal is configured to display the reservation request information, including the reservation date and time, on the touch panel, and to allow the driver to input acceptance of the reservation request. The reservation management terminal identified by the aforementioned reservation holder identification information will display a reservation confirmation notice when the acceptance of the reservation request is entered into the identified vehicle dispatch management terminal. A care taxi reservation system characterized by the following features.

4. The care taxi reservation system according to claim 1 or 3, characterized in that the reservation management terminal inputs the driver identification information by reading a two-dimensional code with an imaging processing unit.

5. The care taxi reservation system according to claim 1 or 3, characterized in that when a reservation user selects a driver displayed on an internet website different from the care taxi reservation system at the reservation management terminal, the reservation management terminal inputs the driver identification information.

6. The database of the server includes information about favorite drivers, which are associated with users and stored as drivers of care taxis. The reservation management terminal displays a list of drivers based on information about the user's favorite drivers and inputs the driver identification information based on the reservation user's selection of a specific driver. The care taxi reservation system according to claim 1 or 3, characterized by the above.

7. The server's database includes information related to estimated fare calculations, which includes at least fare information and assistance fee information associated with the driver. The reservation management terminal displays the estimated fare for each care taxi driver, based on the information of the pick-up and destination of the care taxi and the information related to the estimated fare calculation, and inputs the driver identification information based on the reservation holder's selection of a specific driver. The care taxi reservation system according to claim 1 or 3, characterized by the above.

8. The care taxi reservation system according to claim 1 or 3, characterized in that, after the server transmits the reservation request information including the reservation date and time to the dispatch management terminal identified by the driver identification information, if the server receives input from the dispatch management terminal indicating that the driver identified by the driver identification information is unable to accept the reservation request from the person making the reservation, it displays a message prompting the person to change the reservation date and time on the reservation management terminal identified by the person making the reservation information.

9. The aforementioned database contains registered information about other drivers with whom each driver can share reservations for care taxis. After the server transmits the reservation request information, including the reservation date and time, to the dispatch management terminal identified by the driver identification information, and receives an input from the dispatch management terminal identified by the driver identification information indicating that it is requesting the other driver to accept the reservation request from the reservation holder identified by the reservation holder identification information, the server transmits the reservation request to the other driver's dispatch management terminal. The care taxi reservation system according to claim 1 or 3, characterized by the above.

10. The dispatch management terminal displays the reservation details on the touch panel a predetermined time before the specified reservation date and time, based on the information regarding care taxi reservations in the database. The care taxi reservation system according to claim 1 or 3, characterized by the above.

11. When the reserved care taxi arrives at the designated destination, the dispatch management terminal transmits arrival information via the server to the reservation management terminal identified by the reservation holder identification information, based on an operation on a predetermined button displayed on the touch panel of the dispatch management terminal identified by the driver identification information. Based on the arrival information, the reservation management terminal displays a message indicating that the care taxi has arrived at its destination and notifies the person who made the reservation. The care taxi reservation system according to claim 1 or 3, characterized by the above.

12. The care taxi reservation system according to claim 1 or 3, characterized in that the reservation management terminal is configured to display a screen that allows the reservation status of users associated with the reservation holder to be confirmed based on the reservation information in the database.

13. In a method for booking a care taxi, where a reservation management terminal and a dispatch management terminal are accessible wirelessly from a server, the method involves processing data on a computer according to a predetermined algorithm to identify future usage dates and times and enable the booking of a care taxi. The aforementioned reservation management terminal is operated by the person making the reservation for a specific user who will be riding in the care taxi, and is capable of managing the reservation. The aforementioned dispatch management terminal has a touch panel, is operated by the driver of the care taxi, and is capable of accepting reservations for the care taxi. The aforementioned server, Information about users, including care information of users riding in a care taxi, Information about the person making the reservation for the care taxi, Information about drivers of care taxis, Information regarding the reservation, including the date and time of the reservation for using the care taxi, Includes a database that stores at least the following: The aforementioned information about the user includes the types of services the user requires when taking a taxi. The information regarding the aforementioned driver includes the types of services that can be provided to the user when taking a taxi. The information regarding the aforementioned reservation is stored with the user and the person making the reservation associated with each reservation. The aforementioned method, When a reservation is made using the reservation management terminal, the reservation management terminal sends reservation data to the server, including reservation identification information that identifies the person making the reservation, user identification information that identifies a user different from the reservation identification information, driver identification information that identifies the driver, and the reservation date and time. When the server receives the reservation data from the reservation management terminal, the server registers the reservation data in the database and sends data including the type of service required by the user when taking a taxi, obtained from the user information in the database based on the user identification information, and the reservation date and time, to the dispatch management terminal identified by the driver identification information. The server performs the following steps: displaying the type of service required by the user when boarding a taxi and the reservation date and time on the dispatch management terminal; The steps include: when the reservation is accepted by the dispatch management terminal identified by the driver identification information, the server sends a reservation confirmation notice to the reservation management terminal identified by the reservation holder identification information. The steps include: displaying the reservation confirmation notice on the reservation management terminal; A method for booking a care taxi, characterized by including the following:

14. A method for booking a care taxi according to claim 13, further comprising the steps of: when the server receives the reservation data from the reservation management terminal, the server identifies the type of service required by the user when taking a taxi from the database based on the user identification information; the server identifies the type of service that can be provided to the user when taking a taxi from the database based on the driver identification information and performs a matching process; and the server transmits reservation request information including the reservation date and time to the dispatch management terminal of the identified driver.

15. In a method for booking a care taxi, where a reservation management terminal and a dispatch management terminal are accessible wirelessly from a server, the method involves processing data on a computer according to a predetermined algorithm to identify future usage dates and times and enable the booking of a care taxi. The aforementioned reservation management terminal is operated by the person making the reservation for a specific user who will be riding in the care taxi, and is capable of managing the reservation. The aforementioned dispatch management terminal has a touch panel, is operated by the driver of the care taxi, and is capable of accepting reservations for the care taxi. The aforementioned server, Information about users, including care information of users riding in a care taxi, Information about the person making the reservation for the care taxi, Information about drivers of care taxis, Information regarding the reservation, including the date and time of the reservation for using the care taxi, Includes a database that stores at least the following: The aforementioned information about the user includes the types of services the user requires when taking a taxi. The information regarding the aforementioned driver includes the types of services that can be provided to the user when taking a taxi. The information regarding the aforementioned reservation is stored with the user and the person making the reservation associated with each reservation. The aforementioned method, The reservation management terminal transmits reservation data to the server, which includes the reservation date and time for the care taxi, user identification information that identifies the user who will ride in the care taxi, driver identification information that identifies the driver of the care taxi, and reservation holder identification information that identifies the person making the reservation for the care taxi, all of which are pre-registered in the database. The server registers the reservation data in the database and identifies the type of service required by the user when taking a taxi from the database based on the user identification information. The server performs a matching process by identifying the types of services that can be provided to the user when taking a taxi from the database based on the driver identification information. The server transmits reservation request information, including the reservation date and time, to the dispatch management terminal identified by the driver identification information. The steps include: displaying the reservation request information, including the reservation date and time, on the touch panel of the identified dispatch management terminal, and enabling the driver to input acceptance of the reservation request; When the acceptance of the reservation request is entered into the identified dispatch management terminal, the reservation management terminal identified by the reservation holder identification information displays a reservation confirmation notice. A method for booking a care taxi, characterized by including the following:

16. The method for booking a care taxi according to claim 13 or 15, characterized in that the reservation management terminal inputs the driver identification information by reading a two-dimensional code with the imaging processing unit.

17. The care taxi reservation method according to claim 13 or 15, characterized in that when a reservation user selects a driver displayed on an internet website different from the care taxi reservation method in the reservation management terminal, the reservation management terminal inputs the driver identification information.

18. The database of the server includes information about favorite drivers, which are associated with users and stored as drivers of care taxis. The reservation management terminal displays a list of drivers based on information about the user's favorite drivers and inputs the driver identification information based on the reservation user's selection of a specific driver. The method for booking a care taxi according to claim 13 or 15, characterized by the features described above.

19. The server's database includes information related to estimated fare calculations, which includes at least fare information and assistance fee information associated with the driver. The reservation management terminal displays the estimated fare for each care taxi driver, based on the information of the pick-up and destination of the care taxi and the information related to the estimated fare calculation, and inputs the driver identification information based on the reservation holder's selection of a specific driver. The method for booking a care taxi according to claim 13 or 15, characterized by the features described above.

20. The method for booking a care taxi according to claim 13 or 15, characterized in that, after the server transmits the reservation request information including the reservation date and time to the dispatch management terminal identified by the driver identification information, if the server receives input from the dispatch management terminal indicating that the driver identified by the driver identification information is unable to accept the reservation request from the person making the reservation, it displays a message prompting the person to change the reservation date and time on the reservation management terminal identified by the person making the reservation.

21. The aforementioned database contains registered information about other drivers with whom each driver can share reservations for care taxis. After the server transmits the reservation request information, including the reservation date and time, to the dispatch management terminal identified by the driver identification information, and receives an input from the dispatch management terminal identified by the driver identification information indicating that it is requesting the other driver to accept the reservation request from the reservation holder identified by the reservation holder identification information, the server transmits the reservation request to the other driver's dispatch management terminal. The method for booking a care taxi according to claim 13 or 15, characterized by the features described above.

22. The dispatch management terminal displays the reservation details on the touch panel a predetermined time before the specified reservation date and time, based on the information regarding care taxi reservations in the database. The method for booking a care taxi according to claim 13 or 15, characterized by the features described above.

23. When the reserved care taxi arrives at the designated destination, the dispatch management terminal transmits arrival information via the server to the reservation management terminal identified by the reservation holder identification information, based on an operation on a predetermined button displayed on the touch panel of the dispatch management terminal identified by the driver identification information. Based on the arrival information, the reservation management terminal displays a message indicating that the care taxi has arrived at its destination and notifies the person who made the reservation. The method for booking a care taxi according to claim 13 or 15, characterized by the features described above.

24. The method for booking a care taxi according to claim 13 or 15, characterized in that the reservation management terminal displays a screen that allows the reservation status of a user associated with the reservation holder to be confirmed based on the reservation information in the database.

25. The system consists of a reservation management terminal operated by a person making a reservation for a care taxi for a specific user who will be riding in the care taxi, and capable of managing that reservation; a dispatch management terminal having a touch panel, operated by the driver of the care taxi, and capable of accepting reservations for the care taxi; and a server that can be accessed wirelessly by the reservation management terminal and the dispatch management terminal. The aforementioned server, Information about users, including care information of users riding in a care taxi, Information about the person making the reservation for the care taxi, Information about drivers of care taxis, Information regarding the reservation, including the date and time of the reservation for using the care taxi, Includes a database that stores at least the following: The aforementioned information about the user includes the types of services the user requires when taking a taxi. The information relating to the aforementioned driver includes the types of services that can be provided to the user when taking a taxi. The information regarding the aforementioned reservation is stored in a way that associates the user and the person who made the reservation with each reservation. In a care taxi reservation system for specifying future usage dates and times and reserving a care taxi, the server has: The steps include receiving reservation data from the reservation management terminal, which includes reservation identification information to identify the person making the reservation, user identification information to identify a user different from the reservation identification information, driver identification information to identify the driver, and the reservation date and time. The steps include registering the received reservation data in the database, and sending reservation request information, including the type of service required by the user when taking a taxi, obtained from the user information in the database based on the user identification information, and the reservation date and time, to the dispatch management terminal identified by the driver identification information. The step of receiving the reservation acceptance information from the dispatch management terminal identified by the driver identification information, and sending a reservation confirmation notice to the reservation management terminal identified by the reservation holder identification information, A computer program characterized by causing the execution of a program.

26. The computer program according to claim 25, characterized in that when the server receives the reservation data from the reservation management terminal, it further causes the server to perform the steps of: identifying the type of service required by the user when taking a taxi from the database based on the user identification information; and identifying the type of service that can be provided to the user when taking a taxi from the database based on the driver identification information and performing a matching process.

27. The system consists of a reservation management terminal operated by a person making a reservation for a care taxi for a specific user who will be riding in the care taxi, and capable of managing that reservation; a dispatch management terminal having a touch panel, operated by the driver of the care taxi, and capable of accepting reservations for the care taxi; and a server that can be accessed wirelessly by the reservation management terminal and the dispatch management terminal. The aforementioned server, Information about users, including care information of users riding in a care taxi, Information about the person making the reservation for the care taxi, Information about drivers of care taxis, Information regarding the reservation, including the date and time of the reservation for using the care taxi, Includes a database that stores at least the following: The aforementioned information about the user includes the types of services the user requires when taking a taxi. The information relating to the aforementioned driver includes the types of services that can be provided to the user when taking a taxi. The information regarding the aforementioned reservation is stored in a way that associates the user and the person who made the reservation with each reservation. In a care taxi reservation system for specifying future usage dates and times and reserving a care taxi, the server has: The steps include receiving reservation data from the reservation management terminal, which includes the reservation date and time for the care taxi, user identification information that identifies the user who will ride in the care taxi, driver identification information that identifies the driver of the care taxi, and reservation holder identification information that identifies the person making the reservation for the care taxi, all of which are pre-registered in the database. The steps include registering the aforementioned reservation data in the database and identifying the type of service required by the user when taking a taxi from the database based on the user identification information, The steps include: identifying the types of services that can be provided to the user when taking a taxi from the database based on the driver identification information, and performing a matching process with the types of services the user needs when taking a taxi; The steps include: transmitting reservation request information, including the reservation date and time, to the dispatch management terminal identified by the driver identification information; Upon receiving the reservation request acceptance information from the identified dispatch management terminal, the step is to send a reservation confirmation notice to the reservation management terminal identified by the reservation holder identification information. A computer program characterized by causing the execution of a program.

28. The computer program according to claim 25 or 27, characterized in that the reservation management terminal inputs the driver identification information by reading a two-dimensional code with the imaging processing unit.

29. The aforementioned database contains registered information about other drivers with whom each driver can share reservations for care taxis. After the server transmits the reservation request information, including the reservation date and time, to the dispatch management terminal identified by the driver identification information, and receives an input from the dispatch management terminal identified by the driver identification information indicating that it is requesting the other driver to accept the reservation request from the reservation holder identified by the reservation holder identification information, the server transmits the reservation request to the other driver's dispatch management terminal. The computer program according to claim 25 or 27, characterized by the above.

30. The dispatch management terminal displays the reservation details on the touch panel a predetermined time before the specified reservation date and time, based on the information regarding care taxi reservations in the database. The computer program according to claim 25 or 27, characterized by the above.

31. When the reserved care taxi arrives at the designated destination, the dispatch management terminal transmits arrival information via the server to the reservation management terminal identified by the reservation holder identification information, based on an operation on a predetermined button displayed on the touch panel of the dispatch management terminal identified by the driver identification information. Based on the arrival information, the reservation management terminal displays a message indicating that the care taxi has arrived at its destination and notifies the person who made the reservation. The computer program according to claim 25 or 27, characterized by the above.

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