NYC to finally get self-drive shuttle service

[Eldorado]

Autonomous vehicles are finally coming to the Big Apple.

Optimus Ride, a Boston-based self-driving startup, announced plans to deploy an autonomous shuttle service in New York City in the second quarter of 2019. The company also plans on providing ride-hailing trips to residents of Paradise Valley retirement community in Northern California.

Full monty at the Verge: https://www.theverge.com/2019/3/20/18272941/optimus-ride-nyc-av-shuttle-brooklyn-navy-yards

At Mashable: https://mashable.com/article/autonomous-shuttle-optimus-ride-nyc-norcal/?

[aztek]

To be sure, robot cars won’t be jockeying for space in Times Square anytime soon. Optimus Ride’s autonomous shuttles will run in closed loops on private roads within the Brooklyn Navy Yard, a private, 300-acre World War II-era factory that’s in the midst of a high-tech reinvention. The shuttle service will be available to around 8,500 people who work at the Navy Yard’s various heavy and light manufacturing businesses as well as future passengers of New York City’s East River Ferry service, which is planning on opening a new dock at the Navy Yard in early 2019.

[+OverSword]

At some point this and mass transit is going to be the only way available to travel in urban areas in every developed country.  I'm guessing much sooner than we think.  Once there are enough autonomous vehicles in a given area it will become illegal to drive yourself in your own personal vehicle in these areas because human drivers will inhibit the smooth flow of traffic.

[Farmer77]

5 minutes ago, OverSword said:

At some point this and mass transit is going to be the only way available to travel in urban areas in every developed country.  I'm guessing much sooner than we think.  Once there are enough autonomous vehicles in a given area it will become illegal to drive yourself in your own personal vehicle in these areas because human drivers will inhibit the smooth flow of traffic.

I wish I didnt hate big cities so much. Autonomous cars are a stoner's dream come true

[+OverSword]

6 minutes ago, Farmer77 said:

I wish I didnt hate big cities so much. Autonomous cars are a stoner's dream come true

Or a drunks

[preacherman76]

This will eventually destroy our economy.  Once they go as far as they plan, millions of people will be out of jobs. Good paying often lower middle class jobs. 

Congress needs to ban self driving vehicles. 

I’d personally never step foot in a car that drives itself. Way to many potential things that could go wrong. Who among us has ever had a computer that never malfunctioned in any way? Now instead of it being a inconvenience, you just die. Or worse. 

[Michelle]

2 minutes ago, preacherman76 said:

I’d personally never step foot in a car that drives itself. Way to many potential things that could go wrong. Who among us has ever had a computer that never malfunctioned in any way? Now instead of it being a inconvenience, you just die. Or worse. 

I'm never totally comfortable with even another person behind the wheel besides me. 

[preacherman76]

1 minute ago, Michelle said:

I'm never totally comfortable with even another person behind the wheel besides me. 

Me neither. My wife regularly goes well above the speed limit  I can’t stand when she does that lol. There are very few people I trust as much as myself when it comes to driving.   

[Michelle]

My husband follows way too close for me. And he waits until the last minute to put on the brakes at red lights and stop signs. He has to get new brakes at least once a year and I have the same ones for five or six. 

[preacherman76]

17 minutes ago, Michelle said:

My husband follows way too close for me. And he waits until the last minute to put on the brakes at red lights and stop signs. He has to get new brakes at least once a year and I have the same ones for five or six. 

Yep lol same story here. 

[aztek]

I'd rather see personal; drones, than self driving cars,  i'm ok with self flying drone. 

[Michelle]

4 hours ago, aztek said:

I'd rather see personal; drones, than self driving cars,  i'm ok with self flying drone. 

Until they become like a swarm of mosquitoes with no road rules. 

[+and-then]

12 hours ago, OverSword said:

Or a drunks

Yep.  It would take away the LAST excuse for DUI.  I'd be really interested to see what kind of costs are incurred for insurance of this venture.

[+and-then]

7 hours ago, preacherman76 said:

Now instead of it being a inconvenience, you just die. Or worse. 

I know where you're coming from on this but if you fly at all, this was the case many years ago with commercial airlines.  The pilots basically take off and land and babysit the controls in-between.

[Setton]

14 hours ago, preacherman76 said:

This will eventually destroy our economy.  Once they go as far as they plan, millions of people will be out of jobs. Good paying often lower middle class jobs. 

Then the transport companies will make a significant saving, which will obviously trickle down to the rest of society. Or people will choose not to use them and self driving vehicles never take off. Either way, no problem, right? 

Or are you no longer in favour of a free market? 

Quote

Congress needs to ban self driving vehicles. 

I’d personally never step foot in a car that drives itself. Way to many potential things that could go wrong. Who among us has ever had a computer that never malfunctioned in any way? Now instead of it being a inconvenience, you just die. Or worse. 

Guessing you never fly either then. Or catch a train. 

Edited March 21, 2019 by Setton

[preacherman76]

42 minutes ago, Setton said:

Then the transport companies will make a significant saving, which will obviously trickle down to the rest of society. Or people will choose not to use them and self driving vehicles never take off. Either way, no problem, right? 

Insurance companies will force people into this. So you are saying the problem of millions of drivers that are out of jobs, no longer paying bills and mortgages, and buying food etc will just work it’s self out cause transportation companies will save money? 

42 minutes ago, Setton said:

Or are you no longer in favour of a free market? 

Guessing you never fly either then. Or catch a train. 

It won’t be free market. We will be forced. 

You guessed right. 

[preacherman76]

Btw I’m all for free market, but I’m also all for a future where humans are still needed. What’s the point of having an economy at all if most people are out of work because of automation? 

[aztek]

our trucking industry is mostly a private one, drivers have their own trucks,   as far as customers concerned, they do not care who is doing the driving,  

[Dark_Grey]

20 hours ago, OverSword said:

At some point this and mass transit is going to be the only way available to travel in urban areas in every developed country.  I'm guessing much sooner than we think.  Once there are enough autonomous vehicles in a given area it will become illegal to drive yourself in your own personal vehicle in these areas because human drivers will inhibit the smooth flow of traffic.

Any undeveloped land outside the cities will be off limits for safety reasons. "Agenda 21" outlines the plan to have all of us living in giant "smart" cities. Not saying it's going to happen but it seems to be the path we are headed, with or without some super villain's influence. Now get on that UBI so we can control the flow of your income..

[aztek]

8 hours ago, Michelle said:

Until they become like a swarm of mosquitoes with no road rules. 

of course there will be no road rules, aircraft do not use roads.  we already have entire communities living around private airports, and have planes in their driveways as we have cars, no issues there.  if you took all cars and put them in the air they would be very far apart.

[Dark_Grey]

1 hour ago, Setton said:

Then the transport companies will make a significant saving, which will obviously trickle down to the rest of society. Or people will choose not to use them and self driving vehicles never take off. Either way, no problem, right? 

Or are you no longer in favour of a free market? 

As with electric vehicles, it seems that only a small segment of population is interested in driving one. They just don't appeal to the masses yet. Manual transmissions have almost been phased out completely but they aren't officially dead because some people still enjoy the experience (myself included). Car fanatics are slowing down the onslaught of self driving cars but the numbers are too great too ignore: self driving cars are just safer. @preacherman76 is right about insurance companies. You will pay a premium for smoking cigarettes and another for driving yourself to the grocery store.

[preacherman76]

5 minutes ago, Dark_Grey said:

As with electric vehicles, it seems that only a small segment of population is interested in driving one. They just don't appeal to the masses yet. Manual transmissions have almost been phased out completely but they aren't officially dead because some people still enjoy the experience (myself included). Car fanatics are slowing down the onslaught of self driving cars but the numbers are too great too ignore: self driving cars are just safer. @preacherman76 is right about insurance companies. You will pay a premium for smoking cigarettes and another for driving yourself to the grocery store.

The jury is still way out on how much safer these vehicles will be. Heck one good hacker will be able to cause a few hundred thousand accidents in under a minute.

 

[Dark_Grey]

2 minutes ago, preacherman76 said:

The jury is still way out on how much safer these vehicles will be. Heck one good hacker will be able to cause a few hundred thousand accidents in under a minute.

True, but when it comes to thousands of potential lawsuits and insurance claims on the line, big tech will be willing to spend the money on the best available fail safes. Think of like air travel: statistically, it's the safest way to travel despite being 30,000 feet up in the air with a computer doing all the work. The consequences of not investing in safety for airplanes is...well, you know. I expect they will treat self driving cars the same way. The first few hacks will expose holes which will be patched and so on until it's damn near flawless and no one has to worry about being sued.

 

[preacherman76]

1 minute ago, Dark_Grey said:

True, but when it comes to thousands of potential lawsuits and insurance claims on the line, big tech will be willing to spend the money on the best available fail safes. Think of like air travel: statistically, it's the safest way to travel despite being 30,000 feet up in the air with a computer doing all the work. The consequences of not investing in safety for airplanes is...well, you know. I expect they will treat self driving cars the same way. The first few hacks will expose holes which will be patched and so on until it's damn near flawless and no one has to worry about being sued.

 

It can only be as flawless as any computer. Sooner or later they will malfunction. They always do. 

[preacherman76]

8 hours ago, and then said:

I know where you're coming from on this but if you fly at all, this was the case many years ago with commercial airlines.  The pilots basically take off and land and babysit the controls in-between.

They also have a lot of time to react when something goes wrong. Ntm there are many more cars then planes. 

Edited March 21, 2019 by preacherman76