Driverless taxis going to roll out in Japan 5 years later

bowah SG

tia kong Uber is investing heavily on driverless, therefore I see driveless will in future, which most of us are old and maybe at Buangkok green playing chess, there will be no driver, not only taxi drivers, even grab, normal delivery, bus, casket and uber drivers will be gone, so are oil companies, traffic wardens, etc etc, all these jobs will be gone.

These ang mo and jap are pushing hard on driverless, why??? Because it is their only way of dominating the economy of the world again, they need to create inorder to destroy aka creative destruction.

Taxilim88 SG

Hello, 1 year to 10 years is the time of introduction to the time of complete takeover.

Of course you can do what you please. But you are forgetting the fact that we are living in a high tech world. The DTs will be equipped with cameras. After the pax lodges a complaint with the TC, they will check the footage during the time the offence was committed. This will be sent to TP, who will in turn send you some lucky 4D numbers.

"By next year there will be a whole fleet of driverless taxis (DTs) hitting the roads. These taxis will cost less to operate while reaping higher profits.. "

This one you say one. Whole fleet of DTs leh.. Even if got one driverless taxi on pilot trial on public roads (I mean real roads, not those University driveways), it won't be next year.

What complaint? Driverless taxi want to filter to change lane, I drive alongside it at same speed, what can it do? What traffic offence have I committed? Road works along Braddell road, DT need to filter left, but nobody will give way. Is it an offence?

I see the DT signal and try to cut into my lane, I speed up to cut the DT off. Won't have accident one cos I know the DT got a host of sensors and safety features to avoid me. Offence meh? Some more, no one to show me middle finger.

Driverless taxi always got pax one meh? Won't be empty sometimes? Pax will help DT look out for traffic meh? Aiyah..they will be busy on their mobile phone playing games or texting lah..

You get my point? If ALL vehicles are driverless, yes, the system will work. But if only some vehicles on the roads are driverless and many others are not driverless, then the driverless vehicles will kena bullied and abused by those high ego drivers on the road who most likely will get away with it. If can makan, will makan them one. This actually makes it more unsafe.

With so many safety features to check here, check there, stop here, slow down here, good luck to getting to your destination on time, if you ever get to your destination.

Neutral-Thinker SG

Hello, 1 year to 10 years is the time of introduction to the time of complete takeover.

Cars do not have to be so high tech....the more high tech it is, the more viruses and hard to detect problems there would be ( remember our MRT kept failing ).

Talking about viruses, good thing that the Singapore government made security and safety no 1 priority and made civil servants unable to surf the net from government computers.

Neutral-Thinker SG

I agree with F1. The government will please the majority, and the majority of the people will welcome Driverless Taxis (DTs). Let me give some reasons.

Some reasons why DTs will have mass appeal

Many people will embrace DTs for various reasons. The first will be LTA. DTs will be able to achieve the TA standards they came up with. Perhaps it is precisely for this reason the TA standards were introduced. There will be no more cases of TDs being found dead in their cabs.

DTs do not have to change shift. They do not need lunch breaks, toilet breaks, “bak bak” breaks etc. So achieving the TA standards will be a breeze.

TCs will also welcome DTs.

Firstly they will no longer have to pay fines for not achieving TA standards as, with the introduction of DTs, that will be history. Also, they will save maintenance costs as there will be fewer accidents and less replacement for wear and tear. Let me elaborate.

DTs will not travel at 116 km/h along airport boulevard just to get ahead of the taxi queue. As a result, there will be less accidents along airport boulevard, and of course on other roads as well, as they are programmed to drive defensively. They wiil not accelerate like F1 cars and then suddenly stepping on the brakes to stop abruptly. This will cause less wear and tear on brakes, tyres and other moving parts, which means less downtime, less parts replacements and higher overall profits. DTs will not bang tables or throw keys, thus making the working environment of their staff less stressful. DTs will not complain if servicing takes too long.

The public will also welcome DTs.

First and foremost, it is because of cheaper fares. Certain surcharges may be done away with, and DTs will not cpcb about it. They will not have to fear being scolded by the DT just because they are travelling from airport to Pasir Ris, or have to make multiple stops. DTs will not insist on cash payment only. In fact, I believe all payments will be cashless. This also makes them less prone to robbery and kidnapping. DTs will not discriminate against Indians. They will accept any passenger, regardless of race, language or religion.

The uncles who work at the petrol kiosks will also welcome DTs. It is because DTs will not urinate all over the floor or on the toilet seats, thus inconveniencing other users as well as making them have to clean the toilets more frequently. A couple of days ago, believe it or not, I witnessed something I could not believe. This taxi driver went into the toilet, saw the toilet seat up, brought it down and then urinated. Whatever the logic of it, I will never be able to comprehend. All I can say is, there are people who were just born sadists.

So, whatever you may want to believe, just be prepared for these vehicles to hit the roads. The govt isn’t putting up those charging outlets for people to charge their mobile phones. And they are not being put up for the aesthetics reasons either. They are gonna be put to good use. Also, Mr Khaw Boon Wan has ambitious plans for a futuristic transport system, and DTs are very much a part of it. As for jobs, we TDs will just have to look for alternatives. As F1 has rightfully said, the govt don't care. All that matters is dollars and cents, and making the majority people happy. I anticipate that within 10 years, most of the taxis will be DTs, as TCs will gradually .replace the scrappped ones and those hirers who return their cabs will no longer be given replacements

Fortunately right now only 2 of you are on driverless taxis side ( together with foreigners from car manufacturing countries ). Remember even the USA is reluctant to let it hit their streets so fast imposing a speed limit of 50 km/h on Google driverless cars (the on PM sat in ).

Do you guys want to put Singaporeans lives at risk or do you guys think it is better for the car manufacturing countries to perfect their technologies in their own countries before we consider whether to let them hit our main roads? In short, do we want to be the guinea pigs or should we let car manufacturing countries people be the ones testing their inventions on their streets?

Neutral-Thinker SG

These ang mo and jap are pushing hard on driverless, why??? Because it is their only way of dominating the economy of the world again, they need to create inorder to destroy aka creative destruction.

So do we want them to do so at our expense by eliminating Singaporean workers? Next time no manufacturing and no taxi driving do what? Ports also suffering and Singapore government had to sell off NOL So next time less Singaporeans got jobs so retail shops, supermarkets, hawker centers and coffeeshops also suffer.

What happens if sales not good and they intentionally plant viruses and force us to pay high maintainance cost or buy third party anti-virus solutions? Even the entire Singapore government is forbiding web surfing knowing we are unable to fight viruses.

People in the electronics sectors know that even some established MNCs plant time-bombs in LCD TVs that would be activated after warranty periods.

We know Koreans have caught up with Japs and Ang Mos as the taxi industry is dominated with Korean cars.

Jason65 SG

Ever since machines were invented, they have been taking away jobs from humans. This is in the name of progress and productivity,as well as cost effectiveness. Here is a link that gives you an inkling of how many farmers could have been employed, if these machines were not invented? So driverless vehicles will also take away jobs, and there is nothing we can do about it. The only solution is to adapt.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_agricultural_machinery

Taxilim88 SG

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_agricultural_machinery

Do you know that because of machines in farming, productivity increased many folds and therefore, we are able to feed the increasing world population. The machines created many other jobs in manufacturing, logistics, transportation, sales and retail as well. And because of rapid industrialisation, not many people are attracted to farming in the first place.

When they invented the computer, they declared that many trees and the environment will be saved. How wrong they were. With easy editing on the computer, more trees were killed in the process as people were able to print and reprint volumes of reports, letters, forms etc. Imagine the manual typewriter days of old and how difficult it was to just make amendments to any report or letter.

But then...computers created a whole new industry and jobs in paper recycling....

Driverless vehicles will come about eventually, but full implementation will not happen in the next twenty or more years. By then, nobody will want to be taxi drivers just like no one wants to be farmers today.

Neutral-Thinker SG

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_agricultural_machinery

Where got cannot do anything about it. In manufacturing you cannot do anything about it because your products have to sell overseas and factories that use robots normally could produce at cheaper prices.

But taxi is a different case, we can kept "cannot meet our requirements driverless taxis" out of Singapore. Remember we are very competitive by developed countries' standard as we charge very low despite highest cost of putting cars to roads.

Very stupid right, eliminate very competitive industry in Singapore when we could protect it for Singaporeans.

Neutral-Thinker SG

But then...computers created a whole new industry and jobs in paper recycling....

Sure got people still want to be taxi drivers for sure like sure got people wants to become hawkers. No one wants to be farmers because other countries produce cheaper vegetables and fruits than us. If we do not protect ourselves, then all Singaporeans would have no jobs since foreigners are cheaper.

Jason65 SG

Times change, things change, trends change, and people change along with it. When TV first introduced to Singapore, everybody was very excited. The aim of everyone then is to own a TV set. Nobody care about brand or features or what nots. People just bought what they could afford, and they were happy with it. Then when more channels were introduced, people happily got up from their seats and manuall switched channels, depending on which one was showing their favourite program.

Then, remote control TVs come in. Gradually everyone change to remote control. Now if there is something wrong with the remote and they have to change the channel manually, they will first cpcb.

Same with cars. Now everybody wants to drive because it is the only way to move the car. In future and gradually, all cars will become driverless. People will get used to the idea of travelling in the passenger seat. When something goes wrong with the mechanism and they have to use the manual override, they will also cpcb. Nobody will want to be a TD either

Taxilim88 SG

Then, remote control TVs come in. Gradually everyone change to remote control. Now if there is something wrong with the remote and they have to change the channel manually, they will first cpcb.

TVs will be dinosaur soon..Nowadays, strawberry generation dun watch TV one.

bowah SG

yalor, now they drink milo dinosaur and watch porn on tab

Neutral-Thinker SG

TVs will be dinosaur soon..Nowadays, strawberry generation dun watch TV one.

Are you also trying to say nowadays strawberry generation dun drive cars one?

Anyway, back to TV topic... that partially explains why sales of digital TV is not good for Japanese companies. Sharp kena taken over, Panasonic stopped production of plasma and LCD TV already. Sony has no facilities for producting LCD TV. Toshiba is ending production of TV.

I am exactly different from that generation. I always have one portable TV cum DVD,VCD,CD,Radio + Game console in my taxi whenever I drive. Many a times, while waiting for customers in the queue, I would watch my portable console. And I do not carry a smart phone and only surf the net at home.

Neutral-Thinker SG

Anyway, the so-called driverless taxi that would be hitting the roads in Singapore is actually run by SMRT in no to little traffic districts at 40 km/h: https://vulcanpost.com/573390/shit-is-getting-real-smrt-is-bringing-in-24-seaters-driverless-cars-end-of-this-year-in-singapore/.

The real threat is from nuTonomy which aims to introduce thousands of driverless taxis in a few years time (I thought LTA only allows new taxi operators very limited number of taxis until they could consistently show compliance with service standards).

Taxilim88 SG

Nope. Talking about TV only.

Jason65 SG

I don't think remote controls is the cause of the drop in TV sales. It is very likely due to the fact that streamed movies are easily available on mobile phones, which again, is a sign of new technology killing offf the old

vicamour SG

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_agricultural_machinery

Not exactly true in this context. You see when machines are invented since the 17th century, there is still a need of the operator, which is the human. Thus these machines still create jobs for the people in another way. Just that it increases productivity with less people.

Fast forward to the present, this era is different and you can call it, scary. Computer, IT, nanotechnology, and AI, combined can typically replace most of the jobs that the human can do. The computer can even govern another computer behaviour without any human interferance.
Here comes the worrying part, in the next 2 to 3 decades, AI computing, nanotech, robotics, etc wil replace almost all kinds of jobs that the human can do and they are much faster, productive, intelligent, and they don't need breaks, holidays and leaves, don't demand wages, don't strike, etc. Most of all, given the Moore's law and diminishing costs of building technology, humans are facing a threat for the majority. Are we redundant? Is singularity going to be real?
Is it a good thing when you don't need to work or is it a bad thing when you are jobless?

tanyantao SG

If DT can you still ask it to stop at bus stop? Cause my block i always tell taxi uncle stop there.

Taxilim88 SG

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/jun/30/tesla-autopilot-death-self-driving-car-elon-musk

Proponents of technology will swear that technology can replace human. The human eye has evolved over millions of years and reports have indicated that it has a resolution of some 576 megapixels, more than any camera resolution available today. But not only that, it can move around at split seconds, has spatial resolution and combine with your brain and life experiences to make sense of the surroundings.

Driving is not simply eye and hand coordination. It involves emotions and life experiences. A simple stopping at the bus stop mentioned above is an example. The DT vehicle will simply not stop because the rules are there to prevent it from doing so. But the human is different. He takes calculated risks and these are the result of life experiences which a computer does not have or will not be allowed to have.

Finally, it is not only about technology, but human factors as well. How proficient we are in using these technologies. Someone using an autonomous/driverless vehicle for about 10,000 km without accident will end up being complacent and trust the machine completely. And that's where the danger lies should the computer screw up as in this unfortunate case.

bowah SG

Behind every successful advancement of human technology, there will be scarification, we invented rocket and flying machines with much scarification, not to mention that till today, accident still happen even with advance auto piloting and pin point GPS guidance.

The world must know that there are more human accident than robotics one, on the road itself, human driven cars created more accident and death per day than a day in WWII and those flying. Because human are all born to make mistake, we educate and civilize ourselves to prevent those mistakes or simply, to lesser it.

Everyday on Singapore road alone, there are much more accident than industrial accidents, and no matter how you look at robotic and digitalization technology such as driverless car, it is also a creation of human, and as said, human are born to make mistake, people will push on to make it near perfection, but never a 100% perfection.

We must therefore, like it or not, embrace the changes in view of nothing is perfect, but at least it is near perfection, no computer anti virus is able to protect itself from getting hacked, no machine will go on and produce perfect or the same product, there will be mistake, accident and even fatal, and human knows it, that is why, there are tow truck on standby, TP on standby, and casket driver like me on standby.

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