Uber?

Quote: Fleastiff

Uber's use of driverless cars and flying cars is to embrace the cutting edge.... why be saddled with these hordes of cranky drivers who can "select" fares when Uber can send a driverless car that won't protest.

Flying car... Dubain soon will have a driverless flying car shuttle.

I see the Uber automated cars all the time. Still don't get why they want to go from low capital investment to high capital investment.

Removal of a high long term cost : labour.

Quote: TheCesspit

Removal of a high long term cost : labour.

At one level, but then they have labor to keep the fleet clean and maintained, etc.

I'm in Chicago right now. Uber and Lyft cars everywhere.

It's funny: I took the bus to Chicago. After we all got off, everyone pulled out their phones and requested and Uber or Lyft. Meanwhile there was a cab sitting right there in front of us trying to get some business. I felt kind of bad for the driver. We are all staring at our phones watching our drivers approach when he could have taken any one of us right away.

Quote: AZDuffman

At one level, but then they have labor to keep the fleet clean and maintained, etc.

One person can service many cars. There's also some interesting things that could happen with delivery and door-to-door services when you don't need a driver.

I'm not saying it'll work out, just that the decision ain't insane. Uber's upper management are not who I'd choose to run massive business, but my opinion on that is worth less than a sparrow's fart in a hurricane.

Quote: TheCesspit

I'm not saying it'll work out, just that the decision ain't insane.

It's the start of something that will take
a very long time to come to fruition.
Driverless cars will make mistakes,
the passenger is at the mercy of a machine.
And how will the car know when a drunk
throws up in the backseat, or leaves
something in the car. Not to mention
robot cars are incompatible with cars
driven by humans.

Quote: ams288

I felt kind of bad for the driver. We are all staring at our phones watching our drivers approach when he could have taken any one of us right away.

Perhaps he could have gotten out of the car and called out 'anyone going to X prominent landmark' and taken a group to a certain hotel or something.

Quote: Evenbob

It's the start of something that will take
a very long time to come to fruition.
Driverless cars will make mistakes,
the passenger is at the mercy of a machine.
And how will the car know when a drunk
throws up in the backseat, or leaves
something in the car. Not to mention
robot cars are incompatible with cars
driven by humans.

The auto show I watch shows so many in the industry thinking that automated cars are going to change so much. They are ignoring human nature totally in their projections. Billions will be lost. Ford in particular may have another brush with death because of all of this.

Quote: AZDuffman

The auto show I watch shows so many in the industry thinking that automated cars are going to change so much. They are ignoring human nature totally in their projections. Billions will be lost. Ford in particular may have another brush with death because of all of this.

It's usually government that ignores human nature. If a robot car comes up my street I'll put out a trash can or something and see what happens. Will the car just sit there when I put one in back too? Should be fun for the kids. They can play chicken all day long. Taggers should have a blast too.

Quote: pew

It's usually government that ignores human nature. If a robot car comes up my street I'll put out a trash can or something and see what happens..

They'll be easy to steal once they learn
how. I can see a lane on a freeway that's
for robot cars only, but mixing them
with human cars and pedestrians is
asking for disaster.