Future of private cars in DC

[Anonymous]

Most parts of DC proper are served by metro and bus. Zip car, Uber, Lyft, taxi, car rentals, truck rentals, bikes, skateboards and scooters fill up any gaps. With self driving rental cars/taxis coming our way, do you see any justification for private cars here?

[Anonymous]

Self driving cars aren’t happening

[Anonymous]

They used to be a lot more popular/common here. I could see a certain set still having a dedicated driver or service that they use rather than Uber etc just because you build more of a rapport with the driver and it’s more personalized.

[Anonymous]

Bus? Skateboards? Are you some 22 grad with an internship?

Self driving cars are at least a decade from mainstream.

And people giving up the comfort and cleanliness of their own vehicle (portable storage locker, already has car seats and kids sports equipment in place, etc).

Go read about people doing the dirty in Waymo taxis in SF.

If self driving was really that close to being solved, where is my car that will PARK itself at the mall or parking garage, like my own valet? That should be a much easier problem but does anyone offer it??

[Anonymous]

There are technical, policy, and ethical barriers to self driving cars. They aren’t happening at a system level in our lifetimes. We’ll have jetsons cars first.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Most parts of DC proper are served by metro and bus. Zip car, Uber, Lyft, taxi, car rentals, truck rentals, bikes, skateboards and scooters fill up any gaps. With self driving rental cars/taxis coming our way, do you see any justification for private cars here?

No metro is designed to move people from the suburbs to downtown and back out. The areas with the highest population density in the city are not service by metro. Also why would you want to do away with privately own cars?

[Anonymous]

Not just the DMV, the future for all cars is a subscription model and zero ownership. I don't expect boomers to be able to wrap their brains around this, but in the future when self driving vehicles become viable, major automakers will make vehicles and store them in large centralized locations. People will order self driving cars on demand whenever they need a ride. It'll be a permanent income stream. You'll pay for a yearly 'subscription access fee', then pay per ride. Imagine ordering your driverless car the night before work, getting up in the morning and having the vehicle right outside ready to go to drive you to work with no driver involved. You drink your coffee sitting at a table in this machine while watching the news on a TV streamed into the vehicle. Get out at work and walk away while the driverless cars take off to their next order.

The auto industry longs for the day we have to switch to a subscription model.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Self driving cars aren’t happening

Climate change will dictate self driving cars, Grams. Accept it.