303
Uber was supposed to help traffic. It didn’t. Robotaxis will be even worse
(www.sfchronicle.com)
This is a most excellent place for technology news and articles.
How the fuck was Uber supposed to help traffic? That's the most American take on solving traffic issues I've read in a while.
The actual study modeled a 40% reduction in number of taxis on the road when hailing was made more efficient, with carpooling passengers, and a re-purposing of parking space:
But it turns out that just like with widening highways, human behavior responds to the increased efficiency by stepping up the demand to reach the previous equilibrium again.
I imagine that the fact that you call cars with an app instead of waiting for an empty taxi to pass by is more efficient, and you can have less cars for the same number of passengers. Basically having less empty taxis on the road.
I know it's a stretch, but this is the only way I can see Uber reducing traffic.