TAXIS OF THE FUTURE?
Last Monday, Anna Wilson returned to Phoenix, Arizona, after a business trip abroad. A taxi was waiting for her at the airport, and she got into the comfortable back seat. In front of her in the taxi there was a mini computer screen. She touched it to choose some quiet music, and then she relaxed for the rest of the ride. When she got home, she did not thank the driver or say goodbye. But she was not being rude – there was simply no driver in the taxi.(lines 1–5)
The vehicle that Wilson went home in is known as a "robotaxi." Robotaxis have special cameras and lasers. These devices see everything around the taxi all the time. They send this information to a powerful computer inside the car. Using the information, the computer decides how to drive the taxi safely. For example, it decides when the taxi should go faster or when it should slow down.(lines 6–10)
Phoenix was the first city in the world with robotaxis. In 2020, there were thirty on its roads. Last year, there were already 1,500. Today, there are robotaxis in several major cities in the USA, and also in China and Europe. Experts expect their numbers to keep growing. They believe that by the year 2040, there will be robotaxis on the roads of every major city in the world.(lines 11–14)
"This belief seems surprising when you realize how people feel about cars without drivers," says transport journalist Perry Travis. "They are afraid that driverless cars are not safe. Surveys showed this in 2017, when these cars were tested on the roads. And recent surveys show that most people are still worried."(lines 15–18)
Robotaxi companies know about this problem. So, they use several strategies to convince people that robotaxis are safe. "For example, when they bring robotaxis into a new city, they might offer free rides to a few hundred local people," says Travis. "These passengers see for themselves that the ride is safe and comfortable."(lines 19–22)
The companies' strategies have been successful. "After a single ride in a robotaxi, most people do change their minds," says Travis. "One survey, for example, showed that they stopped worrying about safety. They also said they would recommend robotaxis to their friends. So the experts are probably right. In the future, we might really see these vehicles everywhere."(lines 23–26)