Arranging a transport service for multiple users

Abstract

A system can arrange a transport service for a rider. The system can receive, from a first computing device of a first rider, a request for a transport service. The request can include a first pickup location and a first destination location. Based on the first pickup location and the first destination location, the system can determine a plurality of candidate drivers that are each currently assigned to provide a transport service for a respective rider. The system can perform a selection process to select a driver from the plurality of candidate drivers by, for each candidate driver, determining a set of possible travel sequences in which that candidate driver can provide both the transport service for the respective rider and the transport service for the first rider and computing a score for each possible travel sequence.

1 . (canceled) 
     
     
         2 . A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a computing system, cause the computing system to provide an on-demand transport service by performing operations that include:
 communicating, over one or more networks, with (i) computing devices of a plurality of drivers to determine a current location and a status of each driver; and (ii) a computing device of a requesting rider to receive a transport request, the transport request identifying a pickup location and a destination location;   updating, by communicating with the computing devices of the plurality of drivers, a driver database that identifies the current location and the status of each driver of the plurality of drivers;   accessing the driver database to determine a pool of candidate drivers based, at least in part, on (i) the pickup location of the transport request of the requesting rider, and (ii) the current location and the status of the candidate driver;   wherein the pool of candidate drivers includes at least a first driver that is currently providing a transport service to an existing rider;   selecting, from the pool of candidate drivers, the first driver to provide transport for the requesting rider based, at least in part, on (i) a distance of travel from the current location of the first driver to the pickup location of the requesting rider, and (ii) at least one of (a) a distance of travel from the pickup location of the requesting rider to a destination location of the existing rider, or (b) a distance of travel from a destination location of the requesting rider to a destination location of the existing rider; and   transmitting, over the one or more networks, a transport invitation to the computing device of the first driver.   
     
     
         3 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 2 , wherein selecting the first driver to provide transport for the requesting rider is based, at least in part, on a direction of travel of at least the first driver. 
     
     
         4 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 2 , wherein selecting the first driver to provide transport for the requesting rider is based, at least in part, on an amount of shared transport for each of the requesting rider and the existing rider. 
     
     
         5 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 2 , wherein selecting the first driver to provide transport for the requesting rider includes selecting a travel sequence that designates whether the first driver is to travel to the destination location of the existing rider before or after the first driver travels to the destination location of the requesting rider. 
     
     
         6 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 5 , wherein selecting the travel sequence is based at least in part on a total distance traveled by the first driver for the selected travel sequence. 
     
     
         7 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 5 , wherein selecting the first driver includes determining that providing shared transport to the requesting rider and the existing rider satisfies one or more conditions for each of the requesting rider and the existing rider. 
     
     
         8 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 7 , wherein the one or more conditions include a distance traveled by the existing rider in the travel sequence being less than a threshold value. 
     
     
         9 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 7 , wherein the one or more conditions include a distance traveled by the requesting rider in the travel sequence being less than a threshold value. 
     
     
         10 . A computer system comprising:
 one or more processors;   a memory to store a set of instructions;   wherein the one or more processors execute the set of instructions to perform operations that include:
 communicating, over one or more networks, with (i) computing devices of a plurality of drivers to determine a current location and a status of each driver; and (ii) a computing device of a requesting rider to receive a transport request, the transport request identifying a pickup location and a destination location; 
 updating, by communicating with the computing devices of the plurality of drivers, a driver database that identifies the current location and the status of each driver of the plurality of drivers; 
 accessing the driver database to determine a pool of candidate drivers based, at least in part, on (i) the pickup location of the transport request of the requesting rider, and (ii) the current location and the status of the candidate driver; 
 wherein the pool of candidate drivers includes at least a first driver that is currently providing a transport service to an existing rider; 
 selecting, from the pool of candidate drivers, the first driver to provide transport for the requesting rider based, at least in part, on (i) a distance of travel from a current location of the first driver to the pickup location of the requesting rider, and (ii) at least one of (a) a distance of travel from the pickup location of the requesting rider to a destination location of the existing rider, or (b) a distance of travel from a destination location of the requesting rider to a destination location of the existing rider; and 
 transmitting, over the one or more networks, a transport invitation to the computing device of the first driver. 
   
     
     
         11 . The computer system of  claim 10 , wherein selecting the first driver to provide transport for the requesting rider is based, at least in part, on a direction of travel of at least the first driver. 
     
     
         12 . The computer system of  claim 10 , wherein selecting the first driver to provide transport for the requesting rider is based, at least in part, on an amount of shared transport for each of the requesting rider and the existing rider. 
     
     
         13 . The computer system of  claim 10 , wherein selecting the first driver to provide transport for the requesting rider includes selecting a travel sequence that designates whether the first driver is to travel to the destination location of the existing rider before or after the first driver travels to the destination location of the requesting rider. 
     
     
         14 . The computer system of  claim 13 , wherein selecting the travel sequence is based at least in part on a total distance traveled by the first driver for the selected travel sequence. 
     
     
         15 . The computer system of  claim 13 , wherein selecting the first driver includes determining that providing shared transport to the requesting rider and the existing rider satisfies one or more conditions for each of the requesting rider and the existing rider. 
     
     
         16 . The computer system of  claim 15 , wherein the one or more conditions include a distance traveled by the existing rider in the travel sequence being less than a threshold value. 
     
     
         17 . The computer system of  claim 15 , wherein the one or more conditions include a distance traveled by the requesting rider in the travel sequence being less than a threshold value. 
     
     
         18 . A method for arranging transport, the method being implemented by one or more processors and comprising:
 communicating, over one or more networks, with (i) computing devices of a plurality of drivers to determine a current location and a status of each driver; and (ii) a computing device of a requesting rider to receive a transport request, the transport request identifying a pickup location and a destination location;   updating, by communicating with the computing devices of the plurality of drivers, a driver database that identifies the current location and the status of each driver of the plurality of drivers;   accessing the driver database to determine a pool of candidate drivers based, at least in part, on (i) the pickup location of the transport request of the requesting rider, and (ii) the current location and the status of the candidate driver;   herein the pool of candidate drivers includes at least a first driver that is currently providing a transport service to an existing rider;   selecting, from the pool of candidate drivers, the first driver to provide transport for the requesting rider based, at least in part, on (i) a distance of travel from a current location of the first driver to the pickup location of the requesting rider, and (ii) at least one of (a) a distance of travel from the pickup location of the requesting rider to a destination location of the existing rider, or (b) a distance of travel from a destination location of the requesting rider to a destination location of the existing rider; and   transmitting, over the one or more networks, a transport invitation to the computing device of the first driver   
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein selecting the first driver to provide transport for the requesting rider is based, at least in part, on a direction of travel of at least the first driver. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein selecting the first driver to provide transport for the requesting rider is based, at least in part, on an amount of shared transport for each of the requesting rider and the existing rider. 
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein selecting the first driver to provide transport for the requesting rider includes selecting a travel sequence that designates whether the first driver is to travel to the destination location of the existing rider before or after the first driver travels to the destination location of the requesting rider.