Self Driving taxis

[Conor M]

I'm new to the forum.
Used to just read passively.

I have to ask. What's everyone's thoughts on self-driving taxis. Daimler acquiring a major-stake in Mytaxi and the new CEO is talking about openly with silicon republic  https://www.siliconrepublic.com/companies/mytaxi-ceo-interview . Talk of drivers becoming assistants for families and elderly. I know it won't happen any time soon but surely all that data produced on apps through fares that is being used for driverless taxi programs, should belong to the drivers or at least drivers should have a say in how the data is used. Considering the data is made through the drivers labour.

Any thoughts?

[Shallowhal]

We are in some way the creators of our own demise..signing up/aligning with certain apps,in particular MyTaxi as they have been taken over by Daimler...but in saying that and i'm not saying we're unique but hailing a taxi in Dublin or any of the major towns and cities is...well different...and should be a source of entertainment on Fri/Sat nights if and when driverless taxis arrive.

Welcome btw!!

[mercenary for hire]

After years of denial I've given in to the idea.Doesn't bother me so much anymore.The kids in school are being conditioned to expect the cars to be autonomous very soon.In an ideal world some tech company might buy us out and we retire with a lump sum.I've been told by those in the know that insurance will put the humans off the road as the AI gets perfected.I've been driving in different jobs for over 20 years and I'm 40 now.It actually gets really boring.Hopefully the robot won't get bored so easily.

[Conor M]

There is plenty of talk going around about Mytaxi vs Uber. But they're in bed together on the subjechttp://media.daimler.com/marsMediaSite/en/instance/ko/Daimler-and-Uber-join-forces-to-bring-more-self-driving-vehicles-on-the-road.xhtml?oid=15453638 . So they compete financially but the data from both apps is still being used to fund the same programs. Surely if and when the time comes the NTA will stop driverless taxis in a similar way that ride-sharing wasn't allowed.

Surely there'll be too much opposition for drivers when the time comes

[Shallowhal]

As soon as the robots become self aware we'll all be fuked,hopefully i'll be gettin me penis collider sipped on a beach by then!!

[mercenary for hire]

I think they'll find out the hard way that there isn't that much money in the taxi business after the costs of vehicles and maintenance are factored in.Humans work for relatively little money.

There used to be a time when Smartphones seemed like a good idea.I think they cause more problems than they solve.

[watty]

MfH has a point - liberalised or unregulated taxi markets don't work.  Uber subsidises almost half the fare.  Start here for a deeper explanation ( 1 of 4)
https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2016/11/can-uber-ever-deliver-part-one-understanding-ubers-bleak-operating-economics.html

Re self-driving taxis, when I see one being able to cope with Dublin traffic and Dublin cyclists, then I'll start to worry.   As I sometimes joke with tourists, the 'rules of the road' are not really rules, they're more like suggestions!

[Rat Catcher]

Those of us that remember using using a map book and looking for lamppost numbers to locate addresses are probably the ones that believe the technological advances we have witnessed will eventually result in cars driving themselves, probably under supervision initially but autonomously in due course.

Motor manufacturers are switching their focus to some extent. All seem to be geared towards a future that will see them primarily selling utilisation of vehicles rather than selling vehicles outright. Daimler, for example, has a wide variety of mobility services e.g. car2go, moovel, mytaxi, BTR, CharterWay, FleetBoard, etc. The challenge for manufacturers probably centres on how to maintain brand distinction.  For example, if a consumer hires a Go Car what can they do to make him give a fuck who manufactured the car he’s going to use to get from D to E. To paraphrase mytaxi’s CEO, nobody buying an airline ticket gives a fuck whether they’ll be sitting on an Airbus, a Boing or something else.

As far as generating data goes I wouldn’t be too concerned about motor manufacturers. Google is the king of data. It makes it’s technology available to anyone and everyone free of charge via APIs. It doesn’t do that because it’s an exceedingly generous organisation and it’s no coincidence that it is leading the way as far as development of driverless cars goes. It seems increasingly likely that Google will provide much of the software and real time data that will become standard within autonomous vehicles.

I guess the real question is what can we do to stop progress? The answer is nothing. We need to embrace change and work with firms that are promoting environmentally friendly utilisation of hardware within the consumer transport industry.

[Conor M]

But the data generated by apps must still have value. Even if car manufacturers (daimler) don't lead the way on driverless cars they can still sell the data generated from apps to google. I know a lot of drivers have problems with whistle but imagine in an ideal world every driver used it. Then if and when self driving cars came they could sell the data generated to google or daimler or whoever. Would be nice few €€€ split between all investors.

[Rat Catcher]

mytaxi is built on Google APIs, Google already has all the data it wants from Daimler so it'll not be buying it... same applies to Whistle, Flag and Uber. Uber was the only one that was clever enough to use openstreetmaps initially, prompting Google to invest heavily in the firm.

If you were clever and/or energetic enough you'd get a few drivers together and set up an app with the sole objective of building it up to sell on to a motor manufacturer. It could produce a nice few €€€ for a few drivers but split between thousands it'd be pennies.... and if you were really clever you'd develop it on openstreetmaps.

[Rat Catcher]

Surely there'll be too much opposition for drivers when the time comes

I hope I'm around for those Union meetings.

He'ar lads these bleedin' driverless cars are obeying the rules of the road and they're not raping or murdering any customers. FFS, the cunts don't even overcharge from the airport. Something has to be done. What about all the middle class housewives who only get taxis 'cos they want a good seeing to from a bitta rough? What about the punters that want to buy a bitta gear? etc...

[Rat Catcher]

There's a coincidence... tonights premiere league darts is live from the Mercedes Benz Arena, Berlin!

[Conor M]

Jesus is there anything Daimler don't have a stake in...

[U Wha]

But the data generated by apps must still have value. Even if car manufacturers (daimler) don't lead the way on driverless cars they can still sell the data generated from apps to google. I know a lot of drivers have problems with whistle but imagine in an ideal world every driver used it. Then if and when self driving cars came they could sell the data generated to google or daimler or whoever. Would be nice few €€€ split between all investors.

I agree and it was one of the USP that I advocated with eircab.com, (on hold now, Whistle got there first, want to give them a chance as they claim to have same objective). The value of the data owned by a dominant taxi driver app may soften the blow financially at some point in the future if autonomous taxis do takeover.

[Rat Catcher]

Bleeding' Germans, makes you wonder who won the war!

I don't think it has a stake in Waymo yet:

https://www.thecarconnection.com/news/1115393_googles-waymo-approved-to-begin-self-driving-ride-share-across-arizona

Google's Waymo approved to begin self-driving ride-share across Arizona

February 21, 2018
Waymo's driverless ride-sharing service has won a race against Uber in Arizona—and the company did it without a driver at the wheel.

Waymo, Google’s self-driving car division, secured approval from the state of Arizona last month to operate as a Transportation Networking Company (TNC) putting the company in competition with ride-sharing pioneer Uber Technologies. Waymo will now be allowed to start charging for rides rather than offering them for free as test rides as it currently does.

MORE: Waymo, Google settle out of court

It is expected that Waymo’s service will be app-based like Uber and Lyft.

“Waymo's approval for a driverless ride-sharing service is yet another win in a long list for the company. We continue to get closer to autonomy becoming a widespread reality, and there is massive opportunity across the spectrum for companies willing to innovate and push," Akshay Anand, an analyst at Kelley Blue Book, said in a statement.

Just last week Google and Uber avoided a long trial by settling their bitter trade secret court battle. Google agreed to take an equity stake in Uber worth an estimated $245 million and Uber agreed not to incorporate Waymo’s confidential information into its software or hardware.

In the suit, Waymo alleged that Uber hired an ex-Waymo engineer specifically for what he knows about self-driving car technology. Waymo was most concerned about their light detection and ranging (LIDAR) technology that uses a pulsed laser to measure variable distances to the Earth.

Waymo has ordered thousands of Chrysler Pacifica hybrid minivans to retrofit with its autonomous vehicle technology to test in five states and the company is currently the leader in getting self-driving vehicles on the road. In California, Waymo cars have completed an estimated 325,000 miles of testing on public roads. Its closest competitor, General Motors has completed less than half the testing miles of Google, according to data released by the state.

Industry observers are urging consumers and investors to keep an eye on the various companies vying for dominance in the driverless ride-sharing market. That should be easier now that they won’t have to keep their eyes on the road.

-- by Ruben Porras