AIBU to think we don’t want driverless taxis?

We passed one in central London a few days ago. I don;t thin they work very well in London. They are designed for the grid system of roads in US cities and the culture of no jaywalking etc. In London with the mish mash of streets and pedestrians swarming everywhere they will not cope.

Driverless cars won't work round here, if my new car with 'driver assist technology' is anything to go by. It doesn't understand that vehicle can be approaching on the opposite side of a twisty, narrow but still wide enough for 2 cars, road without crashing into each other
I frequently have to over-ride the technology to be able to get anywhere.

More female taxi drivers instead of this science fiction business, please

Unless some man hacks the driverless car and ‘drives’ it to an isolated location with you in it.

What it will come down to is that is safer to be driven by a robot that a real life MAN.
You can't really argue with the figures on that, for women.

They’re actually not, this is a huge misconception & are far safer than Uber.

Black taxis are too expensive. I prefer uber

Horrendous idea.
Speaking from a London perspective, where Khan has successfully decimated our wonderful Black Taxi trade, having —been bought off—caved to the Uber monster, driverless taxis are just a further decline into mediocrity & yes dangerous territory.

We have already had accidents where a Waymo drove the wrong way through the Picadilly underpass & their depot in Woolwich has already highlighted some real logistics issues (not helped by the current roadworks scheduled to end next year).

In the context of a cost of living crisis, to introduce driverless taxis that render all Uber drivers defunct & without employment, placing unlicensed minicabs in a stronger position, this seems ludicrously risky, short-sighted & lacking in any human interaction. Are our young adults set for a life of communicating only with devices & robots?
Sad times- it’s a fat no from me.

But it only takes a moment of distraction for a human to crash.

I am afraid that technology isn't there to save peoples jobs.

It's amusing how much of this debate was originally aired when everyone was telling the world that cars would never replace horses. Along with Henry Fords famous observation about the intelligence of the market.

I saw this and thought the same, swiftly followed by the realisation that our roads would be a lot safer and nicer to drive on if you swapped men for driver-less cars. I can't imagine angry men would make very good passengers if they stick to the speed limit and take time to indicate, etc.

Maybe we are facing a future where people with the most traffic violations are gradually phased out and off our roads by being the first targeted to use this in the mainstream.

Saying that I did see that documentary about them all polluting and clogging up areas of American towns to the point people vandalise them. We don't need to encourage any more vigilantes.

By definition, automous cars will have to follow whatever the driving codes state

Not quite sure why someone as thick as me has to be the first person to ask when will an autonomous car be made to take an old fashioned driving test.

And - much more pertinently - what will happen when it passes ?

If an autonomous car can run 20 hours a day (put 4 aside for charging) then having a 1/10 share in one working as a taxi would seem to be a very attractive investment.

And regarding charging ... autonomous cars could just make best use of all available charging points in a city. You know - the ones that are empty 20 hours a day.

We are all ignoring the elephant in the room about what's made getting taxis unsafe for women. Tighter regulations would solve the issues. While there have always been the odd psychopath, there wasn't the opportunistic sexual assaults/rapes. Perhaps consider what's changed and deal with that. Driverless taxis/cars have caused fatal crashes, as well as other incidents.

I think the last point is valid. Things like the updated highway code changes that are not followed by any drivers like give way to pedestrians crossing in a side road. This will all be programmed in to driverless cars.

Assuming they roll out Uber Access style vehicles at the same time, it could be a game changer for the less able. (Not that anyone cares about that, naturally).

I cant wait to use one either although i disagree about uber drivers, they are among the most courteous drivers on the road. I find black cab drivers can be a lot more aggro

I get quite a few taxis and although most are fine some of the driving is extremely questionable. I think a driverless car would be significantly better than 2 I've had in the last year who made me genuinely fear for my life. I think in London where you never get above 20mph they would be absolutely fine. At this point I wouldn't trust them on country roads though, but that day isn't far off!

I can’t wait to try one! Hate how uber drivers drive and how dodgy some of them are

It would be fascinating to know what else you assume.

Don't worry, you don't need to respond. I've just assumed.

Try reporting them

99% of my local taxi companies are staffed by Pakistani immigrants. I assume working mostly illegally or on the gray side of things. So they can go home, and we can pay a company to dodge its taxes and provide driverless cars.

https://www.theregister.com/ai-and-ml/2026/09/04/wayve-and-uber-steal-a-march-on-waymo-with-paid-self-driving-london-rides/5294451

I would be curious as to how many more times driverless cars have to be than human cars before they are accepted ?

100 times ?

1000 times ?

😀

And how do you hold machine mistakes leading to injury or death accountable?

Civil law ?

stopped dead in the road. Then another vehicle smashed into the back of us.

That's their fault.