Abstract
This paper describes a six month experiment in Birmingham, designed to evaluate the potential for improving the effectiveness of ring and ride through the purchase of journeys from self-employed taxi drivers. On the basis of the results obtained, which indicated a 3.5 to 1 trip generation ratio, it argues that increased multiple occupancy and more efficient route planning can be achieved by transferring relatively small numbers of awkward, one-off journeys onto taxis. It also identifies the practical problems involved in combining taxis with ring and ride in this way and suggests possible solutions. Finally it describes the work which has been carried out since the experiment and outlines a two pronged strategy for further development.