Save the Taxi Drivers

"Then, in 2009, Man made the ride-share app. And it was very good. Many of the nuisances of taxis that had seemed unavoidable were eliminated overnight. Waiting in the cold with your hand in the air scanning for available cabs? Drivers refusing to take you somewhere after you'd already gotten in their vehicle? Cabs refusing to stop because of your race? Losing items, never to see them again? All problems that were gladly ushered into the past. The act of schlepping around a city was changed forever."

"Ride-sharing has its own flaws: surge pricing in inclement weather, incessant rate hikes, late or canceled rides. But in all of the ways I've imagined improving upon the modern taxi, eliminating drivers themselves has never crossed my mind. And yet, the powerful minds of Silicon Valley and the investors who fund them are trying to do just that."

"Earlier this year, Tesla, which already has a driverless-taxi service, announced that its Gigafactory in Texas would begin producing robotaxis devoid of steering wheels or pedals. Waymo, the Alphabet-owned driverless-taxi service that launched commercially in 2020, recently raised $16 billion, and plans to expand into more than 20 cities."

"In November, Los Angeles and San Francisco, where Waymos were already operating, started allowing the vehicles to travel on highways and to certain airports. Waymo now ha"

Cities and taxis evolved slowly for centuries, with passengers hailing drivers who helped with luggage and sometimes made small talk. Automobiles replaced horse-drawn carriages, yet the core experience stayed similar. In 2009, ride-share apps changed the ride by reducing common taxi problems such as cold waiting, refusal after entering, discriminatory refusal, and lost items. Ride-sharing still has issues like surge pricing, rate hikes, and late or canceled rides. Despite these flaws, eliminating drivers has not been a typical improvement goal. Silicon Valley and investors are now pushing toward driverless taxi services, including Tesla robotaxis without steering wheels or pedals and Waymo’s expansion across many cities and new highway and airport operations.

Read at The Atlantic