Examination of Operational Improvement Measures for Care Taxis Using Universal Design Taxis

Case Study of Chiba Prefecture

Abstract

In Japan, the number of people requiring care in their daily lives has been increasing due to a declining birthrate and an aging population. However, there are many small businesses that provide care taxi to support the movement of people who need nursing care, and they are not able to adequately meet the needs of users during times when demand is concentrated, such as hospital reception hours. On the other hand, the introduction of universal design taxis has progressed in general taxis, and making it easier for wheelchair users to use them. Thus, in this study, we grasped the changes in the use of care taxis over time, and clarified the fact of the regular occurrence of refusals at the time of reservation. In addition, as an improvement measure when a care taxi cannot be reserved, we proposed a short relief system that utilizes JPN TAXI operated by a general taxi operator, and grasped the intention of use of care taxi users. Then, the possibility of utilization was shown by the relationship between supply and demand of JPN TAXI.