AIBU to think we don’t want driverless taxis?

[Burnedbyquestions]

Driverless Ubers now bookable in London - as a pedestrian I would not feel safer knowing cars are driverless and as a taxi passenger I want to support humans to have a livelihood, not increase numbers on benefits and give Uber more profits. Surely most people agree? Appreciate taxi drivers need tighter controls after all the sex attack and intimidation problems but I don’t think driverless anything is the solution.
If taxis were that cheap what would happen to buses/trains? The roads would be clogged up with individual passengers in cars instead - I can’t see the point of them.

Wow

The thought of it makes me feel really disconcerted

Agree. I don't want to see this happen to the industry and wouldn't trust it.

I saw one the other week in London it looked a bit roapy stuttering on the road there were people everywhere im not sure it was coping

Having been in one in San Francisco I have to say it felt perfectly safe. These things have been tested and tested. Putting people
out of work is a different concern but the safety aspect is as good as any tired taxi driver.

I agree @Smartiepants79- we were recently in LA & used them multiple times there. Felt very safe & much better than some dodgy uber drivers we experienced.

For women I think they’d be safer than getting into an uber

it is a shame it will end up putting drivers out of work but that’s just the way it works unfortunately, new technology will always change industries and put somebody out of work

I do. Can’t wait until they are here

I see your point about taxi drivers losing their income but I’m afraid that it’s coming inevitably and holding back the tide just doesn’t happen. Like AI driverless cars are going to change employment- delivery drivers and taxis are going to be the first to be hit.

i do wonder if it will eventually revolutionise road safety. No more human error could save a lot of lives

Last time I was in an Uber we were pulled over by the police because the driver was driving so recklessly. Driverless can’t be worse

I definitely don't want driverless taxis. No matter how much they have been tested all technology is fallible. Whilst people can make mistakes, in an emergency a person in charge of a vehicle can react to unexpected circumstances, I wouldn't have the same trust in a machine.

it is a shame it will end up putting drivers out of work but that’s just the way it works unfortunately, new technology will always change industries and put somebody out of work

@NarnianQueen Will you be saying the same when it’s your job that is replaced, so that the billionaires can make even more money?

I'm a wheelchair user.

I can't use a taxi without assistance from the driver, who folds the wheelchair and loads it in the boot along with my bags.

About 30% of working class men are in jobs which are predominantly driving. Like mines and steelworks, those jobs are going to be history.

But yeah, as a single woman, I'd rather be alone with a computer than a man who's been driving round for 12 hours or whose attitude to women may be questionable.

It’s not just putting people out of work, it’s removing social interactions and human contact and making us ever more lonely and isolated.

I don't trust them. It only takes a faulty one to crash.

Is there an issue with taxi drivers” driving then? Maybe they need higher driving qualifications to get a taxi licence? I know the licensing process is really inconsistent as eg. Wolverhampton council charge way less than elsewhere - does that need to be overhauled so only careful considerate non sex attacking drivers can have taxis?
We need to save lives but imo saving jobs is saving lives - we’re creating a future of unemployed screen addicts with nothing to do but scroll online and claim benefits - that seems highly dangerous to me for all sorts of reasons - TikTok dangerous driving videos, terrorism, child rape porn all fed by boredom and jobless hopeless men and boys seeking thrills. Devil makes work for idle hands - we need to keep people in jobs!

delivery drivers and taxis are going to be the first to be hit.

@NyaxiaYou are right about the taxis, it’s so sad. I hope it’ll be a while before the driverless vehicle can drop a parcel on somebody’s doorstep though. Maybe they’ll invent some kind of robotic arm to dump it in the street!

I just read this story and instinctively my stomach flipped.

I couldn't imagine being driven about by a driverless car.

I don't think I could do it.

I haven't given much thought to much else about it.
Just no human in charge of it. Ugh.

Imagine one of these things on a motorway.

I can't be the only one who thinks hell no!

I don’t understand the point of them if there’s a person behind the wheel just in case anyway.

Human drivers are completely unpredictable and given the amount of bad ones on the roads these days, we will never be able to have a fully self driving vehicle that doesn’t require a safety person behind the wheel unless EVERY other vehicle is self driving.

They will be safer than cars driven by people. I have an electric car with incredible safety features. You can’t crash it. I trust these cars more than people.

Where I live taxis are ridiculously expensive. £30 for a 4 miles from town. Nobody uses taxis. People drink drive. Or they don’t out. Cheap taxis could revolutionise the area. The trains are also crap, expensive and get cancelled all the time. I’m looking forward to the day when my kids can have an app where we have an account with a taxi.

I don't love the idea of depriving people of work but driverless cars (once reliably safe) will be transformative for many people and quite possibly improved road safety. I look forward to keeping independent travelling as I get older.

Honestly while I see your view I don't think these things will be profitable.

I cannot be the only person who has the horrors at the thought of a driverless car.
Or am I in the minority?

Only time will tell.

Unless of course you happen to find yourself in wheelchair or in a position on needing physical support like PerkingFaintly mentioned above in which case you wont be able to access taxis any more.

Have you seen how many people are killed or injured on the roads in the UK every day?

Computer is already a better driver than average human with licence.

I understand the concern about jobs and unemployement, but if we could switch all cars to selfe driving tommorow, roads would be safer for everyone.