Nomdeb

So I'm trying to understand (and maybe I'm being exceptionally thick), from the POV of a customer, what is the value add of a robotaxi vs a driven service. Is it going to be a lot cheaper? If not, what's the benefit to the customer in general?

I get from POV of the company it's cheaper for them to offer them. #RoboTaxi

Mar 20 at 5:55pmWeb
Show threadJames M.3d ago
@nomdeb exactly-- no customer benefit that I can see. It's like the "convenience" when they offer you the ability to do your business over the phone or online, rather than with a human agent. Worse for the customer, cheaper for the company.
Show threadNomdeb3d ago
@jamesmarshall I am thinking about old age - what sort of car services would we want to use once we stop driving. Of course, things may be very different then, we hope for a few decades still - but I am planning now we're in our 60s. My sense is that as an older person I would NOT want a non-human managed service.
Show threadNomdeb3d ago
@jamesmarshall Now I could get behind maybe a shared small group of car owners (like they do for airplanes) with a dedicated couple of drivers, that we can schedule - hopefully not many conflicts - amongst the group. That would give peace of mind and safety and personal care type of service I'd like as an older person.
Show threadJames M.3d ago
@nomdeb that sounds like a rideshare service on a smaller scale, except in your scheme you would know the drivers, and I guess commercial rideshare services aren't really human-managed. I had to stop driving around 2013 for medical reasons, and now use Lyft for the few times I need a car. It's cheaper than owning a car was, since I work at home and don't go out much. No road trips without a friend driving, alas. I think Lyft is somewhat politically better than uber, which I avoid unless necessary. Ideally there would be a rideshare service that paid its drivers better. :/ I've tried to call Flywheel a few times, but there are never drivers available.
Show threadNomdeb3d ago
@jamesmarshall I hear you about that. Yes, a sort of small co-op rideshare. In the same way a group of people co-own an airplane and can book flights as needed. Usually managed by a company, but you have the same pilots, etc. usually. I'm sorry to hear about the medical limitations. I'm exactly thinking about that for ourselves for old age - or indeed if we ended up with some medical matter. I should stop saying Uber. I do mean Lyft and I am using that generically! :)
Show threadNomdeb3d ago
@jamesmarshall In fact I made my husband remove the Uber app from his phone - before he retired - and was on business travel. :)
Show threadJames M.3d ago
@nomdeb the only reason I had to reinstall the uber app after deleting it long ago was that I traveled to a place that doesn't have Lyft (Costa Rica).
Show threadNomdeb3d ago
@jamesmarshall Ooooh Costa Rica is on our bucket list!
Show threadJames M.3d ago
@nomdeb yeah, it's pretty great! :) I was there for a conference in 2023, and added an extra 10 days afterward. Every person we interacted with was super friendly and good-natured. I could gladly spend a lot more time there-- it was a very easy place to be, very low-stress.
Show threadRoger Moore3d ago
@nomdeb
The big advantage other than price is from getting rid of the negatives of a human driver. Not having the constant low-level worry that your driver is a criminal who is going to drive you to some secluded place and do something awful to you would be a plus.
Show threadNomdeb3d ago
@VATVSLPR I had just replied about that to @rupert and yes. I'm still leaning towards a human service however, but maybe better vetted ones than Uber or Lyft. I tend to hire town car services, or if we do use an Uber X (example to airport because town car not available) I'm with my big burly husband. :)
Show threadRupert V/3d ago
@nomdeb A robotaxi has a much lower probability of raping the passenger than an Uber driver.
I don't know if that makes them safer overall but I do know women who won't get in a taxi with a male driver.
Show threadNomdeb3d ago
@rupert I definitely do think about that with Uber and Lyft. I would tend to hire town car services, where there are usually longer-term employee drivers. Or slightly better vetted services like Washington Flyer (actual taxi). On occasions we've done an Uber town car type to airport, I've been with my husband. So yes, I see that for everyday ride share, especially in more remote areas.
Show threadJohn Deters3d ago
@nomdeb At least with a human driver, they have skin in the game. Unless they're suicidal, they (theoretically) avoid collisions. An AI, on the other hand, can only say "You're absolutely correct, I should avoid driving behavior that might cause a crash. I'll drive on the sidewalks instead of the roads."
Show threadJonathan Kamens 86 472d ago
@nomdeb Someone else already pointed out the sexual assault risk which I was going to point out. In addition…
If the robotaxis live up to the claim that they're safer drivers than humans (admittedly a big if), then they both are safer for individual passengers and make the roads safer for everyone as robotaxis replace human drivers.
Having said that, it's all the wrong answer, what we need is more, better, free mass transit, not robotaxis.