Technology Could Render Uber Drivers Obsolete

An amusing highlight of the 1990 science fiction film Total Recall, starring former Governor of California Arnold Schwarzenegger, was the Johnny Cab robotic taxi service.

In the film, which is set in the year 2048, Johnny Cabs are taxis driven by androids. When Total Recall got the remake treatment in 2012, the Johnny Cabs were missing from the new movie; however, tech giant Google was already making progress on its self-driving car project.

Fast-forward to 2016: personal transportation service Uber announces that it will begin testing Google’s autonomous driving technology on the streets of Pittsburgh. Similar to the Johnny Cabs of Total Recall, 100 Uber cars will drive themselves to pick up passengers and transport them around the Steel City.

Uber has acquired a tech startup presided by one of the founders of the self-driving vehicle project at Google. The hi-tech Uber test fleet in Pittsburgh will consist of two models turned into driverless cars: the stylish Volvo XC90 SUV and the Ford Focus.

For this test, the self-driving Uber vehicles will be manned by two people sitting in the front seats. One will have his or her hands and feet ready to disengage the autonomous driving mode at anytime while a partner on the passenger seat makes observations. Only a few of these cars will be tested initially; the goal is to expand the test to 100 self-driving Uber taxis roaming the Steel City.

Uber’s Business Practices Under Fire

As a company with a significant international presence, Uber has managed to attract quite a bit of attention and controversy over the last few years. The company is not afraid to leverage technology in search of profit even if it rubs some people the wrong way.

Uber CEO Jason Kalanick has commented that his company’s foray into autonomous vehicle is “existential.” Mr. Kalanick believes that operational costs can be lowered with a fleet of Johnny Cabs that may one day replace the 1.5 million freelance drivers working for Uber around the world. It is presumed that Uber’s savings will eventually be passed on to passengers.

Just a day before Uber announced its futuristic plans, the company suffered a legal setback as a federal judge did not accept a proposed $100 million settlement to compensate drivers who felt they were underpaid in California and Massachusetts.

Labor and regulatory issues have posed significant problems for Uber around the world. Last year, military police officers in Brazil were ordered to prevent Uber drivers from operating until the company obtained a formal permit. In Mexico City, violent clashes between taxi drivers and Uber freelances have resulted in injuries and damaged cars. In Costa Rica, Uber operates despite having been labeled as an illegal service by the Presidential Office.

The company’s experiment with driverless cars is bound to receive criticism from various groups. On one hand, labor advocates may think Uber is seeking an easy way out after being hit with complaints and lawsuits from drivers unhappy with low pay and unpleasant working conditions. On the other hand, those who have criticized Uber’s disregard for local regulations may think that the company is using technology to skirt the law.

In the end, Uber may be a pioneer of putting self-driving cars to use, but other companies will soon adopt this trend. Rival transportation service Lyft will start testing autonomous Chevy Bolt vehicles next year, and the Ford Motor Company is developing self-driving taxis that will truly resemble Johnny Cabs as they will have no steering wheels, pedals or instrumentation for human drivers.