RIDEGURU
https://www.theverge.com/2019/8/6/20755163/new-york-city-self-driving-shuttle-service
Much like other autonomous vehicle (AV) shuttle services that have cropped up in recent years across the country, it is extremely slow and restricted only to a single route: 1.1 miles from the entrance of the Navy Yard to the New York City Ferry dock on the East River. The service will operate on a continuous loop between 7AM and 10:30PM on weekdays.
Each car has two safety drivers: one behind the wheel and one in the passenger seat monitoring the vehicle’s sensors from a laptop. Engineers at Optimus Ride’s offices in Boston will be monitoring the vehicles when they eventually go fully driverless, ready to issue commands if anything goes awry.
Interesting to see where this goes.
Comments
All the studies says that a majority of riders won't get into a driverless car. I took a ride in Vegas in a Lyft/Aptiv car, it took me double the amount of time to get go my destination and I ended up paying more than a ride would have been with a human driven car.
I think these things have two problems.
1. Trust. I don't see this as the big problem. Trust will increase over time. I have no doubt that these things can be made safe.
2. Annoyance. This is the bigger problem. In avoiding accidents, these things are going to have to drive super conservatively. This is good for safety but terrible for functionality. I for one would not like to sit in a car with no driver, stuck at a crosswalk for 15 minutes because the thing is too scared to make a move lest it hit someone. And there is no human driver I can bug about it.
Driving around metro Boston where I live, getting from A to B always requires some somewhat aggressive moves. Nosing into a lane to make a right turn, squeezing out in between traffic to make a left. These are moves that, if you think about it, really require humanity. Thousands of tiny micro decisions. You have to be able to put yourselves into the shoes of the other driver -- is this guy going to let me in? Hmm, beat up old…
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I think these things have two problems.
1. Trust. I don't see this as the big problem. Trust will increase over time. I have no doubt that these things can be made safe.
2. Annoyance. This is the bigger problem. In avoiding accidents, these things are going to have to drive super conservatively. This is good for safety but terrible for functionality. I for one would not like to sit in a car with no driver, stuck at a crosswalk for 15 minutes because the thing is too scared to make a move lest it hit someone. And there is no human driver I can bug about it.
Driving around metro Boston where I live, getting from A to B always requires some somewhat aggressive moves. Nosing into a lane to make a right turn, squeezing out in between traffic to make a left. These are moves that, if you think about it, really require humanity. Thousands of tiny micro decisions. You have to be able to put yourselves into the shoes of the other driver -- is this guy going to let me in? Hmm, beat up old corrolla, eyes forward, he's got nothing to lose, I'll wait for the next opening. Brand new Subaru forrester, seems to be slowing down a tad, I'm going for it.
Driving is much more complex than I think we give ourselves credit for. Computers are going to struggle with this for a long time. Maybe forever.
On a private road like the Brooklyn Navy Yard where the entire route is controlled, I am sure it'll be ok. But I don't think it really means much for the future of AVs on public roads.
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We actually did a survey on this last year and 64% said they wouldn't ride in a driverless vehicle. I was actually fairly surprised as I expected that number to be even higher.
https://ride.guru/content/newsroom/autonomous-vehicles-in-the-year-2018
I love how we are going to go back in time with driverless shuttles. Right now we can drive anywhere you want but soon you will only be able to take certain routes.