Self-Driving – The Trade-off of Autonomous Cars to Society

We’re certain that we will eventually have cars on the road that are self-driving to where they need to go and the likelihood is that we’ll see these cars offered as ride-hailing vehicles before they are offered as models we can own privately. This may mean we’re going to face a tradeoff when these vehicles make it to market so that we can enjoy the ride and they can continue to be tested to see if these cars are the right choice not only for the drive you want to make but for the ride-hailing services offered.

While the autonomous cars that are added to the road could ease the congestion we face on a regular basis in the long lines of traffic we face, these cars will encourage a greater amount of urban sprawl. There could be more cars on the road instead of fewer with the onset of these ride-hailing companies in different areas of the country. These models may allow the complexity and layout of a city to change with more people moving to the outskirts because they won’t have to do the driving themselves, which is something many who live in the city don’t have to deal with right now at all.

A New Form of Self-Driving Public Transportation

Those among the urban population who rely on the buses, subways, and taxis for their ride to and from work may begin to rely on the ride-hailing services of Uber, Lyft, and others that are offered in the market. This will initially mean more vehicles on the roads but as fewer people begin to take buses or look for taxis because of the connected services offered by these companies, we may see some taxi companies put out of business and busing system that get shut down.
The advancements made in the self- driving vehicles could filter into taxis and buses as well. Right now, NuTonomoy is partnering with Lyft to test the drive in the Seaport District of Boston to see how passengers use the services from Lyft to see how passengers book their rides in the self-driving vehicles that are hailed for a ride. This study will help determine how many models can be added to the mix without causing a large amount of added urban sprawl to the mix while also ensuring those that want to ride can do so.
Self-driving cars are on their way and the data gathered in urban locations from ride-hailing services can help determine how many of these cars should be added to the roads in the near future. The expectation is that eventually, the number of cars will settle back down to a number closer to what we see now, but with the number of different entities competing for the ride and to be the choice of transportation used, we may see more congestion before we see less. There’s always a tradeoff when the market moves forward and this seems to be that tradeoff for self-driving vehicles.