Uber CEO Says Widespread Adoption of Self-Driving Taxis Will Take Time

In a recent earnings call, Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi highlighted the obstacles facing the integration of self-driving cars into the rideshare network, indicating that widespread adoption of this technology is still several years away. While companies like Waymo and Tesla are pioneering the use of autonomous vehicles in select U.S. cities, scaling this technology to create a robust fleet capable of serving Uber passengers presents significant challenges, including safety concerns, regulatory hurdles, and the logistics of fleet maintenance. Khosrowshahi stated, 'We think that the commercialization of the technology is going to take way, way longer.' He noted that successful deployment will depend on ensuring these vehicles are 'orders of magnitude safer' than human-driven cars to earn public trust. Currently, Uber utilizes a limited number of driverless cars in its partnership with Waymo, with planned expansions into new markets. However, it is clear that the transition to fully autonomous ridesharing will not happen overnight, as Khosrowshahi estimates, 'I don’t expect autonomous vehicles to replace Uber’s millions of human drivers within the next five years.'