Taxis Without Drivers Emerge In American Cities

A rider in driver's seat of a driving riderless taxis

Driverless vehicles are now the rave in the United States. Yep, that's right! Cars that do not have drivers but will ferry you to wherever you are going are now becoming a familiar sight across American cities this summer. For now, they're available as taxis. 

        A San Francisco driverless taxi waiting for its riders 

The taxis are express rides from pickup point to destination with no stops in-between allowed, so the rider has to be sure of his/ her destination, before ordering it. This is to ensure the driverless cars have enough fuel to take the rider to its destination, and for the taxis' return to base. 

Empty driver's seat 

 

Empty driver's seat if no one opts to sit there 

The rider is alerted to it's arrival almost five minutes before it shows up. If any delay occurs after the programmed waiting period, the taxi leaves back to base but the rider will be fined for it nonetheless.

                 Sealed portal for keys 

Once entering it, the vehicle won't move until the safety seatbelts of everyone in the car is securely  buckled. It then moves to the destination pre-recorded by the rider while ordering the ride into its app. 

Riders of the white San Francisco driverless taxi 

Cashless payment for the driverless taxis are made during the ordering process before the car leaves the parking bay.

Riders can choose to seat in the driver's seat or not, but are precisely told not to touch the steering. At traffic lights, the driverless cars stop at the red light, and only move along when lights turn green.

 

 Driver-less, but stops at a red light traffic stop

This innovation is generating  excitement and creating buzz among Americans. Interesting days ahead.

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