Press Release

Colour, touch-screens in taxis show the way!

New MD-X taxi dispatch solution to revolutionise the industry

Sydney, Australia - 9th December 2003

You know the story, you jump in a taxi and have to tell the driver how to get to your destination. This soon could be a thing of the past. The new MD-X taxi dispatch solution, launched in Australia by Raywood this week, will include powerful, colour, Microsoft Windows displays in taxis. These devices will not only dispatch work to drivers, like the existing units, but have the potential to help them navigate to both your pick-up address and the destination.

“ MD-X builds on Raywood’s 20 years of experience in the taxi industry and brings the technology firmly into the new century, with support for Windows Mobile in-vehicle devices and public data networks” said Mr Steve Watt, CEO of Raywood Communications.

Existing customers already have seen tremendous improvements in fleet efficiency and customer service since the introduction of computerised, global positioning (GPS) dispatch systems back in the mid-1990s, now they’re looking for the next leap forward.

Typically taxi dispatch solutions are based on proprietary technology, in the car, in the control room and the communications infrastructure. Raywood has incorporated feedback from customers and put together a more open solution that can grow with them. A “best of breed” technology approach that takes advantage of standard operating environments, such as Windows Mobile, the availability of integrated devices such as Pocket PC Phones and the billion dollar investments in public networks, such as Telstra GPRS and CDMA 1xRTT mobile data networks, means that Raywood customers will receive a scaleable, powerful and flexible dispatch solution.
Raywood previewed the new solution at recent industry trade shows in North America and in the United Kingdom to a great response. “The industry has been looking for a strategic solution, one that can accommodate new options in terms of multiple in-vehicle displays, text-to-speech, mapping and navigation” according to Executive Vice President, Doug Anderson. “Our approach means our customers can add functionality without having to change the base system software” said Mr. Anderson. “Smaller taxi firms can even use off-the-shelf Windows devices, like the new XDA device to have jobs dispatched to them.” continued Mr Anderson.

As the MD-X runs on the powerful Windows Mobile platform, the potential for the solution is almost unlimited. Cab companies can now consider options such as integrated meters, in-cab navigation and surveillance cameras, multiple in-vehicle screens to run GPS-based advertising, or provide internet access to customers. Some of these new features could potentially be billed directly to the fare, increasing the earning potential of taxi drivers, owners and companies. Raywood’s approach means that this type of development is possible.

MD-X Specifications:
Flexible, 6.4” colour touch-screen display

• 12 channel GPS receiver
• Intel XScale Processor
• Support for GPRS or CDMA networks
• Support for Private Mobile Radio (PMR) networks
• 32MB Flash memory and 64MB or SDRAM
• Operating System – Microsoft Windows Mobile

About Raywood Communications:
Raywood is a pioneer in wireless software for the transport industry, developing the first fully computerised job dispatch solution for the taxi industry in the late 1980s. In 1995, Raywood was the first in the world to incorporate Global Positioning (GPS) technology into a computerised job dispatch solution to optimise the tracking and dispatching of vehicles and further revolutionise the taxi industry. Raywood also led the way in the production of in-vehicle digital security cameras, which are now installed all over the world. With tens of thousands of cars worldwide using some form of Raywood technology, Raywood is the clear leader in dispatch software and in-vehicle surveillance systems for the taxi industry. Raywood is headquartered in Australia and has offices in North America, Europe and the Middle East. For more information, visit www.raywoodcommunications.com.

Raywood Communications
Sarah Mills - Marketing Manager
+61 (0) 405 146 206
smills@raywoodcommunications.com

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