Opinion: Robotaxis—The Good, The Bad, and The Future of Self-Driving Vehicles

Self-driving vehicles have been riding the streets of the world’s most technologically advanced countries, and the United States and China are taking the lead. The presence of robotaxis in major cities like San Francisco, Beijing, Phoenix, Shanghai, Los Angeles, and Guangzhou has been significantly increasing. The new technology has amazed some, annoyed others, and worried taxi and ridesharing drivers about their jobs’ future.

These past few weeks have seen major updates, including the most recent insertion of the Chinese automotive tech company WeRide in the United States, even though the U.S. government has been skeptical about this advanced Chinese technology in the territory.

China has been advancing fast, approving documentation and robotaxi fleets from companies like Pony.ai, AutoX, Apollo Go, and WeRide and spreading anxiety among local taxi drivers as they see how more and more self-driving vehicles take passengers on the streets.

The U.S. has been more careful with the deployment of this advanced technological service for citizens. Its advancement is also imminent in the region, but not without questions, concerns, and expectations.

What’s happening right now with the arrival of robotaxis? Here are a few answers.

Drivers Are Losing Rides Despite Major Skepticism from New Users

Trust seems to be the most powerful word when it comes to understanding the debate between robotaxis and taxi drivers. And it’s complex too. Last year, journalist Lyanne Melendez shared her experience riding a Waymo vehicle for ABC7 in San Francisco.

Once the ride began she said she felt surprisingly relaxed as the vehicle’s driving was very smooth until the car randomly stopped at a green light, and then it dropped her a 5-minute walk away from her desired stop.

“Had there been a driver right here, I would have said, ‘Hey, this is the wrong location,’ and I would have given the instructions, except there is no one here right now,” said the journalist. After reporting the issue to customer service, the car drove and dropped at the same wrong location, frustrating Melendez and making her question whether she would request the service again, other than “just for fun.”

Youtuber Uptin recently shared his experience, too, acknowledging the challenges and highlighting other advantages like not needing to tip—also considered an advantage with delivery robots—and the fascinating technology it uses, like detecting vehicles and people from a very broad and immediate perspective. It even maneuvers correctly during unexpected scenarios like an ambulance requesting drivers to clear the way.

However, recent research by Forbes Advisor shows that “93% of Americans have concerns” about self-driving vehicles, and they worry especially about technology malfunctioning. While most Americans haven’t yet been in a self-driving vehicle, only 30% are excited about this technology and its presence in the future.

Are Self-Driving Vehicles Actually Better Than Human Drivers?

Tech companies have been praising advanced AI technologies in the automotive sector as superior, claiming that they reduce the prevalent “human error.” Yes, maybe a self-driving vehicle will not try to take a selfie at a red light or fall asleep behind the wheel after a long night shift at work, but are they truly safer?

It’s a complex topic because this is such a new and groundbreaking technology, and there truly isn’t a large database to analyze and compare.

According to a report shared last year by Waymo, formerly Google’s self-driving project, their vehicles significantly outperform humans. “Our new research found that Waymo Driver performance led to a significant reduction in the rates of police-reported and injury-causing crashes compared to human drivers in the cities where we operate,” states the document.

However, a recent study published in Nature reveals that there are more factors to consider. While researchers acknowledged that accidents are less frequent in cars that incorporate self-driving technologies, they also noted that weather conditions have an impact on automated vehicles.

“Accidents involving Advanced Driving Systems occur more frequently than Human-Driven Vehicle accidents under dawn/dusk or turning conditions, which is 5.25 and 1.98 times higher, respectively.”

The self-driving car company Cruise—General Motors’ subsidiary company—is under investigation, and all of its fleet has been removed from the streets after one of its automated vehicles severely injured a pedestrian last year. The company is still working on strategies to regain users’ trust and get back into the market.

What’s Next For Self-Driving Vehicles?

There is a lot of room for improvement as new, unexpected situations arise. Citizens in California have been complaining about a honking situation with Waymo’s self-driving vehicles as the technology relies on honking as a safety measure, even if it involves waking up the neighbors at 4:00 a.m. The company is working to solve this issue and many more.

Waymo is also already building better technologies to reduce costs and enhance performance during bad and extreme weather conditions. Its new generation of self-driving vehicles will be cheaper and will include more cameras and less honking.

And more companies are ready to compete. While Elon Musk has made big, yet unfulfilled, promises regarding the new Tesla Robotaxi service, there are rumors that the new models have been spotted in multiple locations and that the deployment will be more aggressive and more aligned with the Chinese strategy.

However, recent history has taught us that the hype is real and that in reality, things might evolve a little slower. 2023 was supposed to be the year we would see robotaxis everywhere, but the high cost of the technology, recent accidents, and new regulations have slowed down the process as people’s skepticism seems to increase.

Now that more vehicles are expected to expand to more streets and cities, it’s a matter of time. We’ll see in the coming years whether improved tech and performance succeed in regaining users’ trust. It’s the only way society can come to truly adopt the technologies.