Route planning based on environmental conditions

1. A system for directing a vehicle-for-hire and a prospective passenger to a remote pick-up location to avoid traffic congestion, the system comprising:

a communications interface configured to:

receive a ride request from a user, wherein the ride request includes a starting point and a desired destination;

receive from a plurality of communication devices associated with a plurality of vehicles-for-hire indications of current locations of the plurality of vehicles-for-hire;

a memory storing instructions; and

at least one processor configured to execute the instructions to:

receive real time traffic data, including information about at least one of street blockages and atypical congestion;

identify an existence of an area of traffic obstruction in a vicinity of the user's starting point;

select a vehicle-for-hire to pick up the user;

identify a pick-up location, remote from the user's starting point, peripheral to the area of traffic obstruction;

send to the user, via the communications interface, information about the pick-up location; and

send to the selected vehicle-for-hire, via the communications interface, driving directions to the pick-up location, wherein the driving directions substantially avoid the area of traffic obstruction.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to select the pick-up location such that a path from a current location of the selected vehicle-for-hire to the pick-up location avoids the area of traffic obstruction.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the area of traffic obstruction is a region where traffic flow is slower than in an adjacent region.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the area of traffic obstruction is at least one of a road closure, a parade, an accident, a public safety incident, and an infrastructure repair.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to determine real time traffic data information received from the plurality of communication devices associated with the plurality of vehicles-for-hire.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to receive information from an external source, predict an area that will have traffic obstruction in the near future, and use the predicted area in determining the pickup location.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to identify, based on the real time traffic data, a change in the area of traffic obstruction.

8. The system of claim 7 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to determine an alternative pick-up location to accommodate the change in the area of traffic obstruction.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to send to the user information about the alternative pick-up location and update the driving directions to accommodate the change in the area of traffic obstruction.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein when the at least one processor is configured to select a user for the vehicle-for-hire already transporting other passengers and to change an assigned drop-off location of at least one of the other passengers to a location peripheral to the area of traffic obstruction.

11. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to assign a plurality of users to concurrently share the vehicle-for-hire, and to determine differing pick-up locations and differing drop-off locations for the plurality of users.

12. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor is configured to send information about the pick-up location to the user including walking directions to a location that is at least one block away from the user's starting point.

13. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to select the pick-up location and the driving directions so that the user arrives at the pick-up location before arrival of the vehicle-for-hire.

14. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor is configured to send information about the pick-up location to the user including a map indicating a walking path to the pick-up location, and wherein the at least one processor is further configured to cause, on the map, an indication of the area of elevated traffic congestion.

15. The system of claim 14 , wherein the indication is an icon.

16. The system of claim 14 , wherein the indication includes words describing the traffic obstruction.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium including a memory storing instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform a method for directing a vehicle-for-hire and a prospective passenger to a remote pick-up location to avoid traffic congestion, the method comprising:

receiving a ride request from a user, wherein the ride request includes a starting point and a desired destination;

receiving from a plurality of communication devices associated with a plurality of vehicles-for-hire indications of current locations of the plurality of vehicles-for-hire;

receiving real time traffic data, including information about at least one of street blockages and atypical congestion;

identifying an existence of an area of traffic obstruction in a vicinity of the user's starting point;

selecting a vehicle-for-hire to pick up the user;

identifying a pick-up location, remote from the user's starting point, and peripheral to the area of traffic obstruction;

sending to the user, via the communications interface, information about the pickup location; and

sending to the selected vehicle-for-hire, via the communications interface, driving directions to the pick-up location, wherein the driving directions substantially avoid the area of traffic obstruction.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 17 , wherein the method further comprises:

selecting the pick-up location such that a path from a current location of the selected vehicle-for-hire to the pick-up location avoids the area of traffic obstruction.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 17 , wherein the method further comprises:

receiving the information from an external source;

predicting an area that will have traffic obstruction in the near future; and

using the predicted area in determining the pick-up location.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 17 , wherein the method further comprises:

identifying, based on the real time traffic data, a change in the area of traffic obstruction;

determining an alternative pick-up location to accommodate the change in the area of traffic obstruction;

sending information to the user about the alternative pick-up location; and

updating the driving directions to pick up the user from the alternative pick-up location.

21. A system for directing a vehicle-for-hire and a prospective passenger to a remote pick-up location to avoid traffic congestion, the system comprising:

a communications interface configured to:

receive a ride request from a user, wherein the ride request includes a starting point and a desired destination;

receive from a plurality of communication devices associated with a plurality of vehicles-for-hire indications of current locations of the plurality of vehicles-for-hire;

a memory storing instructions; and

at least one processor configured to execute the instructions to:

at least one processor configured to:

receive real time traffic data, including information about at least one of street blockages and atypical congestion;

identify an existence of an area of traffic obstruction in a vicinity of the user's starting point;

select a vehicle-for-hire to pick up the user;

identify a drop-off location, remote from the user's desired destination, peripheral to the area of traffic obstruction;

send to the selected vehicle-for-hire, via the communications interface, driving directions to the drop-off location, wherein the driving directions substantially avoid the area of traffic obstruction; and

send to the user, via the communications interface, walking directions from the drop-off location to the desired destination.