GeneralMotors just started charging for rides in its new fleet of robotaxis in San Francisco last week, and next it plans to expand to other cities.
It is a glimpse of things to come. There aren't a lot of companies that charge for rides on public streets. It was only back in March that federal regulators opened the way for fully self-driving vehicles, which, to clarify, now don't need a steering wheel.
Gil West said that it was a Wright Brothers moment. It's rapid scaling of business if you fast forward to the future.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration enacted the ruling just a month after GM requested permission to use its Cruise model on public streets. The robotaxis are open to paying customers.
Concerns have been raised about the safety of putting cars on the road. The death of a pedestrian in a self-driving car with a human safety driver was blamed on the inattentive safety driver. The premise of self driving cars is that they'll make driving safer, but the data remains unclear, and a gruesome accident like GM's could cast a long shadow on public perception of the tech.
Employment can't be ignored. If self-drive vehicles become ubiquitous, they could easily eliminate thousands of jobs in taxis, trucking, and other related industries.
All of the attention is on San Francisco. There is a chance that the future of American cities may be related to that.
There is more on self-driving cars.
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