[ref
http://electric-vehicle-discussion-list.413529.n4.nabble.com/Self-driving-taxibots-can-eliminate-90-of-private-cars-on-the-streets-tp4675308.html
Self-driving taxibots can eliminate 90% of private cars on the streets
]
[Not to be confused with aircraft taxibots taxibot-international.com]
https://www.google.com/search?q=taxibots
Search taxibots
...
http://www.citylab.com/tech/2015/04/7-benefits-and-1-huge-problem-with-a-world-of-driverless-taxis/391952/
7 Benefits and 1 Huge Problem With a World of Driverless Taxis
Eric Jaffe Apr 30, 2015
Perhaps the biggest win: no more on-street parking. ... A city where private
cars are largely replaced with driverless taxis doesn't feel terribly
close, but it's not too far away to think about ...
...
https://www.google.com/search?q=driverless+transitstart=10
Search driverless transit
[Switzerland.edu driverless bus (v)]
http://actu.epfl.ch/news/ride-across-the-campus-without-a-driver-4/
Ride across the campus without a driver
[video (camera view from front of taxibot during route)]
04.05.15 - Since April 17, driverless vehicles roam the EPFL campus. Climb
aboard for a taste of the future and meet the bellboy.
We could have sworn that the profession of elevator operator was gone. At
worst, we pictured a bellboy in an elevator in a luxury hotel in Mumbai.
Yet, the profession comes back to life in what could become a means of
transport as popular as the one inaugurated in New York on 23 March 1857.
Since 17 April the EPFL campus is a life-size laboratory for testing
autonomous shuttles as part of the European CityMobil2 project. There is no
driver but there is a bellboy. Welcome aboard!
Let us be clear: for the moment, the main motivation of the shuttles’ users
is curiosity. Passengers can neither go very far nor very fast. The proposed
route connects the M1 line stop at the Innovation Park, the Esplanade
parking lot, the Rolex Learning Center, the Starling Hotel and the
Estudiantines student residence. It was the only possible route on campus
that does not disturb the traffic and which avoids construction sites
explains our groom.
During this first phase of testing, it takes 20 minutes to cover a distance
of about 1’500 meters. Unless the passenger leaves the Starling hotel with 3
suitcases in the pouring rain, this formula has only a purely scientific
interest. The turns of the itinerary require a safe speed and even during
the few tens of meters of straight route the vehicles cannot use all their
power: they are limited for security reasons.
Why a bellboy?
The mystery remains: why a bellboy in a driverless bus? In addition to being
polite and answering questions, the bellboy is a complement to a developing
technology. When leaving each stop, he presses the button to close the
doors. This is an essential security gesture, followed by the sounding of a
bell and a gentle start. Just like in the good old days! Except for the
shuttle’s cutting edge technology. For each identified hazard, the vehicle
slows down and sometimes even weeds and daisies unnecessarily activate its
corner radars. Passersby also test its reflexes, honed by a radar on the
roof. Although the vehicle can go faster, it is not the testers’ current
intention. The technology is being tried: so far there are no accidents to
report.
Inside the vehicle, it is possible to follow the path, already mapped on a
large screen, and see through the eyes of the radars. Small red dots
highlight potential obstacles whereas a continuous line marks the trail left
by a cyclist. Suddenly the shuttle stops, stubborn as a mule. A large truck
stands before it. It is not yet able to go around obstacles, explains the
modern times elevator operator. Without hesitation, he takes the vehicle’s
controls and asks the truck’s driver to move his 26 tons. Once the way is
open, he returns the controls to the electric vehicle and the journey
resumes.
There are between 150 and 200 curious passengers per day using the shuttle
for this quick getaway. The same must have happened in the old days when
people would use the elevator just to see how it is. It's fun,
entertaining, and innovative. One feels a bit like a pioneer whose
grandchildren will say one day: When Grandma was young buses still needed
drivers.
Public transport on demand
Behind its casual appearance, this life test unique in its kind is a step
towards the future. It aims to develop a piece of software that enables to
manage a fleet of autonomous vehicles in real time from a control center,
said Raphael Gindrat, CEO of the BestMile start-up, collaborating with the
project. This promises interesting applications such as in airports,
campuses, industrial centers, recreational parks or even for public
transport on demand.
Apart from the technology developed by EPFL’s start-up, CityMobil2 is
interested in the sociological and legal aspects related to vehicles without
drivers. The passengers willing to share their impressions are invited to
answer a
