Driving one of London's black cabs was once a prestigious and lucrative job. You didn't get a license to drive one until you had mastered 'the knowledge' – a thorough understanding of 25,000 streets and roads in the city. Deregulation in the early 21st century was a blow that lowered earnings, but are robotaxis about to apply the coup-de-grace? Now that they've mastered traffic, they won't need to be paid the $100,000+ per year that black cab drivers routinely used to make.
This article is rather odd. It says the robotaxi performed faultlessly over 60 minutes in challenging London traffic, yet ends by saying the technology still has a long way to go. My guess is that this is all coming sooner than many expect, yet they can't quite believe it's true, even when they see it with their own eyes.
'I've never seen that before': My chaotic robotaxi ride through London with Wayve's CEO
London's iconic black cabs' days may be numbered. Wayve's self-driving robo-taxis have fully mastered the city's traffic.
byu/lughnasadh inFuturology
3 Comments
I went in a Waymo in Phoenix last year and it was very impressive. I didn’t think London would be getting this so soon.
Ultimately the rides were tinged with huge guilt – we’d just been part of a project that will ultimately lead to huge job losses across the globe.
A recent study determined that London cab drivers, of all occupations, are significantly less likely to develop Alzheimer’s. The study authors theorized it is due to the increased hippocampus reliance for their daily work. Replacing that with robots would be a significant loss for science and everyone who benefits from it.
Plus I’ve ridden in Waymos, it’s creepy and not nearly as fun as talking with a local.
This just reads like a technology hype article to increase investor belief.
I rode in a Waymo last week in the states, it took twice as long to get to me as it should, drove inefficiently, and dropped me off at the wrong location a block and change further away.
I wouldn’t take one again, not anytime soon.