At a session I put on yesterday at a national community transportation conference, there were attendees from rural and small city areas across the United States and Canada. Everyone is interested in driverless and many in community transportation are afraid. They are afraid that their passengers who are elderly or disabled will not have a friendly driver on board - whether a car, a van, or a bus - to give assistance. They are afraid of interfaces that do not work for people with cognitive disabilities. Some are excited about the opportunities driverless transportation will bring, while others would prefer to hold on to the present, despite its inefficiencies and inequities.
This is an exciting time; possibilities are not set in stone. Now is the time and it is the role now for advocates and educators - national associations and others - to make sure that manufacturers, tech companies, and elected officials understand the importance of equity, not only in large cities, but in rural areas, suburbs, and small urban areas. Transit and community transportation in many places is often the only link that enables older adults, people with disabilities, and people with low incomes to remain independent, to work, and to travel. Rural areas present a unique challenge, with long distances and low population densities. If such places and such people are not to be left in the rear view mirror, then solutions must be developed and voices heard by the powers that be.
Congestion is not the problem in many places; less dense cities and regions have significant equity issues that the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) has just touched the surface of. Driverless has the potential for vast improvements on this score.
That's my rant for the week.
Scant update
I have hardly paid attention to driverless news in the past week, so here is a summary, just so I jot down what I think is important. For anyone out there who concentrates on this stuff, much is this will be old news to you.
Follow the money
Ford putting its money where its mouth is, both working on and investing in the shared-use driverless business model. The venture capital firm founded by Bill Ford, Jr. has put real money into nuTonomy, the company doing the robo-taxis in Singapore.
Intel buying up start-up companies so that it can go full speed ahead in the driverless race. The latest buzz focuses on Intel's purchase of Itseez, a San Francisco company. One could think that hanging out at SF coffee places is the way to get get intelligence on start-ups to invest in or purchase for driverless and other tech races.
Everybody's making sausages
Nice state legislation update, especially regarding New York and Michigan. New York wants to clear a path for sale of driverless vehicles and shared-use driverless transportation. The legislation will also trash the requirement that a driver have a hand on the steering wheel at all times - because there might not be a steering wheel.
UK government talking legislation that will make manufacturers of driverless vehicles and technology liable in case of crashes and other incidents.
Hints of Tesla going from partially autonomous vehicles to fully autonomous? Reports that updates could be coming before late 2017.
On the roads now and soon in ...
Driverless vehicles soon to be tested on roads in Australia.
Japan unveils robo-taxi for G7 summit.
Have recent tests in Europe of driverless - or almost driverless - connected vehicle (CV) convoys of trucks inspired the hungry state of Michigan? Hungry, that is, for keeping all things vehicular manufacturing and development in the Motor State. Michigan roads will soon see CV convoys. Right now, these will be convoys operating for testing purposes only. Interesting - it will be the US Army doing the testing.
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