California will soon let tech companies give passengers free rides in self-driving vehicles

[Polycount]

Why it matters: The recent slew of self-driving vehicle crashes may have shaken the public's trust in autonomous vehicles, but California will be pushing ahead with two new autonomous vehicle pilot programs regardless. These programs will let companies use their self-driving cars to pick up passengers for free rides, provided they abide by the DMV's strict requirements.

The public's trust in autonomous vehicles has been shaken lately following numerous self-driving vehicle crashes, but those fears seem to be calming down now.

In a press release published today, California's Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) announced their decision to let companies use their autonomous vehicle fleets to provide rides to the state's citizens.

The CPUC is making this possible through two "pilot programs," the first of which will let companies pick up passengers using autonomous vehicles provided there's a "trained driver" in the vehicle.

The second program will mostly be the same, but it eliminates the driver from the equation entirely. As a result, this programs' rules are a bit more strict. For example, companies will be required use remote monitoring software to make sure the vehicle and its passengers are safe at all times.

"I am pleased to launch these pilot programs as part of the evolution of the passenger transportation system in California," CPUC Commissioner Liane M. Randolph said in a statement. "Our state is home to world-class innovative companies and I look forward to these services being offered with the high level of safety that we expect from our passenger service providers."

From what the CPUC has said so far, it sounds like neither program will allow companies to charge customers for rides; everything must be completely free for the time being.

That stipulation is unlikely to be much of an obstacle for tech companies, though. The data they'll inevitably gather through these pilot programs will likely make up for any costs they may incur by offering free rides.

Permalink to story.

https://www.techspot.com/news/74900-california-soon-tech-companies-give-passengers-free-rides.html

 

[captaincranky]

I really need to have my hands on either a pair of motorcycle handlebars, or a steering wheel, plus I live on the east coast, so I guess I'm safe from tis nonsense for the time being.

 

[Clans]

Why would they be concerned about a few machine caused deaths when 60,000 deaths a day are executed (pun intended) by humans?

 

[Uncle Al]

Hey Cranky ..... can you imagine the City of New York with a whole fleet of these as taxi cabs?!?!?! They are going to have to install a special arm on the car that will wave and curse if they really want to be accepted!

 

[captaincranky]

Uncle Al, I think you mean an arm flipping the bird, and a PA system which can drop the "F bomb", in 47 languages.

Is that what you were trying to say?

 

[captaincranky]

Why would they be concerned about a few machine caused deaths when 60,000 deaths a day are executed (pun intended) by humans?

In all seriousness, 60,000 gun deaths a day doesn't bother me a bit, unless of course it's me.

In fact, I root for them, the retelling makes a nice segue between the weather and the sports. (or traffic and weather).

I don't even want Barabbas to survive, god can sort that mess out.

Messrs. Smith & Wesson, foremost in post facto birth control.

BTW, where did you ever come up with that exaggerated number? I doubt that many got killed by guns or run over tanks a day in WW2

 

[psycros]

Why would they be concerned about a few machine caused deaths when 60,000 deaths a day are executed (pun intended) by humans?

In all seriousness, 60,000 gun deaths a day doesn't bother me a bit, unless of course it's me.

In fact, I root for them, the retelling makes a nice segue between the weather and the sports. (or traffic and weather).

I don't even want Barabbas to survive, god can sort that mess out.

Messrs. Smith & Wesson, foremost in post facto birth control.

BTW, where did you ever come up with that exaggerated number? I doubt that many got killed by guns or run over tanks a day in WW2

He said 60,000 deaths caused "by humans" - the pun is probably just that and nothing more. I would assume that means ALL forms of intentional or accidental killings worldwide. Then again, even that number could be vastly inflated by including such abstract nonsense like cancer deaths caused by cigarettes and so on. Leftists commonly use this kind of phony math to push their agendas. Then there's the suspicious fact that 60,000 is an awfully square percentage of global population. Considering how dishonest and secretive many regimes are, worldwide birth and mortality numbers are probably extremely tough to pin down - I suspect any given figure is subject to a fairly wide margin of error.

 

[senketsu]

Why would they be concerned about a few machine caused deaths when 60,000 deaths a day are executed (pun intended) by humans?

How many human driven cars and miles driven, compared to the number of self driving cars and miles driven. If every car on the road was self driven with the same number of miles driven I suspect you will see a lot of deaths.

 

[Reachable]

You think you're cool hailing a self-driving car. You wait. Once the car starts moving and you see the steering wheel turning by itself you'll think "Oh Lord, why did I do this?!" After a few seconds you'll start to scream "Let me out!" "Let me out!!" But no one will hear you.

You'll make it to where you're going alright. The car will pull over and the doors will unlock. As you exit you'll say "Thank you" in a meek, confused little voice, even though no one is there. You'll lurch to the curb and step up onto the sidewalk, at which point your knees will buckle and you'll lie there quivering like jell-o in an earthquake.

Welcome to the future, Jack.

 

[wiyosaya]

Uncle Al, I think you mean an arm flipping the bird, and a PA system which can drop the "F bomb", in 47 languages.

Is that what you were trying to say?

 

[wiyosaya]

He said 60,000 deaths caused "by humans" - the pun is probably just that and nothing more. I would assume that means ALL forms of intentional or accidental killings worldwide. Then again, even that number could be vastly inflated by including such abstract nonsense like cancer deaths caused by cigarettes and so on. Leftists commonly use this kind of phony math to push their agendas. Then there's the suspicious fact that 60,000 is an awfully square percentage of global population. Considering how dishonest and secretive many regimes are, worldwide birth and mortality numbers are probably extremely tough to pin down - I suspect any given figure is subject to a fairly wide margin of error.

Consider this - https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/new...rs_now_third_leading_cause_of_death_in_the_us for starters. Then consider this - https://able2know.org/topic/65174-1
No stats on how many of these are caused by other humans, but at 1/3 of that, it seems that it might not be unreasonable.

No political propaganda in this. The number are plain for anyone willing to find them.

 

[captaincranky]

....[ ]....No political propaganda in this. The number are plain for anyone willing to find them.

I hoping the human race somehow summons the chutzpah, and displays the initiative to get those numbers higher, along with better enforced birth control methods, regulation, and enforcement.

Face it, neither NASA, Musk, or Bezos, is going to provide livable colonies on the moon, mars, or any other planet or moon, within rocket range of terra firma, before overpopulation forces us to retreat to cannibalism as an alternative food supply..

 

[treetops]

....[ ]....No political propaganda in this. The number are plain for anyone willing to find them.

I hoping the human race somehow summons the chutzpah, and displays the initiative to get those numbers higher, along with better enforced birth control methods, regulation, and enforcement.

Face it, neither NASA, Musk, or Bezos, is going to provide livable colonies on the moon, mars, or any other planet or moon, within rocket range of terra firma, before overpopulation forces us to retreat to cannibalism as an alternative food supply..

Meh first world countries like Japan actually have a diminishing population. It's speculated that all first world countries will eventually take the same route.

 

[captaincranky]

Meh first world countries like Japan actually have a diminishing population. It's speculated that all first world countries will eventually take the same route.

Right, and the third world populations will still be breeding like lice, and looking for a body to suck blood from.. (Here's a clue; that will be the "first world countries").

Since you're not doing anything, why not read the CITES agreements, to get a fix on how much of this planet we've already destroyed?.

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

 

[wiyosaya]

I hoping the human race somehow summons the chutzpah, and displays the initiative to get those numbers higher, along with better enforced birth control methods, regulation, and enforcement.

Face it, neither NASA, Musk, or Bezos, is going to provide livable colonies on the moon, mars, or any other planet or moon, within rocket range of terra firma, before overpopulation forces us to retreat to cannibalism as an alternative food supply..

I'll give no arguments about Musk, Bezos, or NASA in terms of livable extra-planetary colonies - not likely for some time.

Personally, I think we need to get beyond the current economic system we have, which I consider - as you know - is still, essentially, feudalism. I have no answer.

Though I am sure that this will garner comments from those who politicize everything, perhaps this is an idea worth exploring

https://www.ted.com/talks/lucianne_walkowicz_let_s_not_use_mars_as_a_backup_planet

There are those out there working to find sustainable survival means, but I think a big challenge to those ideas is the abject ignorance of some.

Since you're not doing anything, why not read the CITES agreements, to get a fix on how much of this planet we've already destroyed?.

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

Absolutely, as I see it, humanity has to get beyond destroying the Earth. And part of overcoming that ignorance, as I see it, is getting people beyond "God will not smite the Earth" again, and into the mindset of God never saying that he would prevent humanity from smiting the Earth. Humanity has been extremely destructive; it must stop.

 

[ShagnWagn]

So they realize these cars are so dangerous that they need to offer them for "free" to get people to risk theirs and others' lives? Nothing is "free". As these continue to kill people, are they going to start trying to pay us to ride in them? No thanks.