Driverless ride-hailing vehicles – popularly known as robotaxis – are showing up in a growing number of cities. Several of the largest technology companies in the world are leading the charge using their deep pockets both to put vehicles on the streets and influence how they and sometimes their competitors are portrayed in the media.
The technologies and the vehicles themselves vary considerably but the basic idea is the same: you summon a driverless vehicle, electronically specify a destination, and the vehicle takes you there.
The economic argument is a compelling one. If there is no driver to pay, the cost of a ride can be less. And there is nobody to tip. For the provider, there is no workforce to manage, compensate, or schedule.
The primary consideration, however, is safety. Are robotaxis safe? Over 40,000 Americans die in auto accidents each year. More than 90% of accidents are caused by human error. Human drivers can be distracted; impaired by fatigue, alcohol, or drugs; or do dangerous things because they are in a hurry, angry, or make bad decisions. Robotaxis have none of these problems.
Will robotaxis get into accidents? For sure. Will people get killed in robotaxis? Most likely. Perfection is unattainable. But the point is that there will be fewer accidents and robotaxis will be safer than cars driven by humans.
Robotaxi technology is rapidly improving, and most people don’t realize how good it already is. Opinion polls say that most people don’t trust driverless cars, but that is going to change. Robotaxis offer privacy, safety, and predictability and ready or not, they are coming.
