The Future of Taxis Is Here, But Is It Ready?
Picture this: You hail a cab through an app, walk up to a vehicle without a driver or even a steering wheel, and hop inside. It takes you to your destination, you step out, and the fare is settled through the app. No small talk with a driver, no fumbling for cash, and no need to worry about who is behind the wheel.
That’s the dream behind the Tesla Cybercab, and in America, it’s already rolling out. On paper, it sounds like the ultimate way to get around. But as Clarkson found out in Texas, reality has a few bugs in the system.
The ex-Top Gear host took Tesla’s driverless taxi for a spin, only to discover that ditching the driver doesn’t mean you ditch the headaches of getting from A to B.
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Clarkson’s First Ride Didn’t Go According to Plan
Clarkson shared the anecdote in his column for The Sunday Times, describing how his experience involved two separate Cybercab bookings. The first vehicle arrived around the corner from his actual pickup point. After getting inside, the car reportedly failed to get moving, with its digital assistant insisting that it was already heading toward his destination. A Tesla representative eventually intervened through the vehicle’s audio system and instructed him to cancel the booking and request another car.
The second Cybercab seemed to work well at first, moving through traffic confidently. Clarkson even tried talking about Tottenham Hotspur to test its sense of humor. But things changed when it was time for the car to stop.
Instead of stopping, the Cybercab kept driving, saying it was looking for a safe place to pull over. Clarkson saw it pass several good spots to stop, while the car’s system seemed confused by nearby traffic. It reportedly ran red lights, braked suddenly for things that weren’t there, and even got stuck facing an autonomous shopping cart.
The worrying bit? Clarkson’s pleas to stop and open the doors were ignored. With no wheel or pedals, he was just along for the ride. Eventually, the car did pull over, then decided to keep going before finally dropping him off.
Clarkson confessed he spent a good ten minutes genuinely worried, powerless to do anything. He liked Musk’s bravado and thought the Cybercab looked the part, but said he’d give it a miss if it ever showed up in London.
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The Future Needs a Backup Plan
Many of us imagine a future where everything works smoothly. You press a button and get what you need. If you need a ride, a car shows up. You enter your destination and relax while the technology does the work. But most of the time, reality is very different, especially if you’re in a car that doesn’t want to stop.
Clarkson’s experience highlights a major issue with self-driving cars. It’s not enough for them to handle simple situations. They need to know what to do when something goes wrong, and most importantly, they should let you get out if the technology fails.
Sure, ditching the wheel and pedals makes sense if no one’s supposed to touch them. But that leaves you at the mercy of the software, hoping it knows what it’s doing.
Robotaxis might one day make getting around easier and cheaper for everyone. But if Clarkson’s ride is anything to go by, the tech still needs to mature. A driverless cab should know how to get you there, but more importantly, it should know when to hit the brakes – especially when the paying customer says so.
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