| 摘要 |
A method and apparatus for allocating a vehicle resource to a customers future vehicle requirement are disclosed. The method comprises storing vehicle requirements, which include at least a start time and a pickup location. The required vehicle size and type may also be stored. If, in respect of a booking, the current time has a predetermined relationship with respect to the start time of the booking, a pool of candidate vehicles, which comprises fewer vehicles than the number of vehicles that are available, is formed for possible fulfillment of the booking. For each vehicle in the pool of candidate vehicles, a score is calculated that is related to the suitability of the vehicle to the booking. For one or more of the vehicles in the pool of candidate vehicles, a journey time from a first location to the pickup location included in the booking is calculated. The vehicle score and the calculated journey time are used to determine whether there is a need to allocate a booking. The steps of calculating the vehicle score and the journey time and determining whether there is a need to allocate the booking are repeated until there is a need to allocate the booking, at which point the booking is allocated to the vehicle with the best suitability score. The apparatus is configured for implementing the method. |
