Patent ID: 6859009

Claim:
A hire vehicle transportation system for an urban area in which the users of said system have access to any vehicle within said system, comprising: (a) a pool of urban electric vehicles each of which has substantially the same size and physical configuration as the other vehicles in the pool; (b) a number of storage and maintenance facilities located throughout the urban area so as to be convenient to the user of said vehicles; (c) a number of designated on-street parking areas for said vehicles; (d) a central computer for assisting in the control and the operation of said vehicles and said facilities; (e) each said urban vehicle having an on-board computer which receives data from various sources in the vehicle and stores said data for downloading into said central computer; and (f) a key-card reader connected to be in communication with said on-board computer; wherein said vehicle has a set of extendable electric contacts, which, when said vehicle is on a storage conveyor and said electric contacts are extended, are connected to electric power conductor bars that are positioned in parallel with said storage conveyor in order to charge said vehicle while in the storage facility.