Is more safety scary?
The missing piece is experience. Truly driverless vehicles have already been operating in cities such as Phoenix and Las Vegas for years. An entity that can see in all directions at once, is never distracted, and can respond correctly within milliseconds is, of course, safer than the bulk of human drivers that we trust our lives to everyday. However, we have to collectively get over that scary feeling before we can make travel safer.
Familiarity and Acceptance
Goal: Provide citizens with their first firsthand experience with good driverless technology. Perhaps a public shuttle demonstration would do. Once familiar, our residents will do the right thing and demand access to driverless technology. The technology could be in the cars they own. However another way could save ownership hassles and eliminate the dead time as your car just sits there in the driveway.
Subscribe to Transportation
Imagine subscribing to surface transportation instead of owning a vehicle. Your plan might include luxury models or trip frequency discounts. For all subscriptions, a driverless car comes to your location to pick you up at your request. Check your social media or make a call while you are on your way. Never do an oil change or even wash a car again. Never pay for parking again. But who would you get this subscription from?
Dealer Implementation
A car dealer could have a fleet of autonomous vehicles continuously starting up and zooming out to earn the dealer business. Subscriptions will be affordable so the pressure to make a big sale will be reduced. Service Department productivity will improve. Each car will pull itself out of service for maintenance. The shop will prioritize work on owned vehicles but will always be busy as driverless cars wait patiently to be serviced. Efficient and productive service will certainly benefit everyone.
