Systems and methods enabling transportation service providers to competitively bid in response to customer requests

A computerized system enabling transportation service providers to bid competitively in response to customers requests for transportation services, the system comprising:

• a software platform implemented by at least one computer having at least one microprocessor, said software platform comprising a plurality of computer-executable logic and means for executing a plurality of system features, and,
• a server-side application hosted on a server connected to at least one network and comprising means for establishing one or more of a virtual marketplace for buying and selling transportation services, and,
• at least one user application comprising means for enabling a plurality of users to access and participate in said marketplace, wherein a first type of said users is a customer and a second type of said users is a transportation service-provider,
• wherein said system features comprise:
• administrator control means for enabling one or more administrators to operate and manage one or more of said virtual marketplaces and means for performing a plurality of administrator functions,
• service-provider registration means for enabling each of said service providers to create and use a service-provider account comprising means for storing in a computer memory a plurality of service-provider data, said service-provider data comprising personal-identifying data elements and adjustable account-settings elements;
• and,
• a personal profile mechanism comprising means for visually displaying one or more graphical renditions of any of said service provider data in a plurality of personal profiles, where each of said personal profiles corresponds to one of said service provider accounts and to a defined address in a computer memory location of the network, such that the personal profile is accessible for viewing by at least some of the users of the system, and means for incorporating a plurality of social media applications in said personal profiles,
• wherein a marketplace community comprises all of said service provider accounts and all of said personal profiles active in one or more of said marketplaces;
• and,
• a bidding mechanism comprising means for enabling the customer to submit at least one service request for transportation service, where said service request comprises a plurality of service-request parameters, and parsing means for identifying in the marketplace community one or more eligible service providers having an eligibility to bid in response to the service request, and alerting means for alerting each of said eligible service providers via an electronic communication of a bidding opportunity having said service-request parameters, and a bidding means for enabling each of said eligible service providers to submit a bid responsive to the bidding opportunity, where said bid comprises a plurality of bid parameters;
• and,
• a bid-evaluating mechanism comprising means for parsing said bid, and means for organizing one or more bids into at least one responsive bid grouping, bid display means for graphically displaying the responsive bid grouping in an interactive graphical interface of the user application on an electronic device in communication with the network of the system, said interface comprising a visual representation of one or more of the bid parameters of the any bids in the bid grouping, wherein said visual representation comprises a linking means for enabling the customer to visit the personal profile of the eligible service provider corresponding to any of the bids in the bid grouping;
• and,
• a bid-acceptance mechanism comprising means for enabling the customer to select a winning bid from the interactive graphical interface of the bid display means, a contract-formation means for obtaining an acceptance and a consideration from the customer in order to establish a contract for purchasing the winning bid, and means for transmitting a service order receipt to the service provider of the winning bid.