Are cab drivers’ jobs now at risk? 120,000 Uber taxis set to run without drivers!

Ride-hailing company Uber has announced its biggest move yet towards driverless mobility. According to a report, the company plans to invest over $10 billion (approximately ₹95,000 crore) over the next few years and deploy 120,000 driverless vehicles (Robotaxis) globally. Uber aims to launch autonomous taxi services in at least 15 cities by 2026. This raises the question: how exactly do these driverless taxis operate?

Robotaxis are not driven by humans like traditional cars. They are equipped with LiDAR, radar, high-resolution cameras, GPS, and AI-based computer systems. These sensors work together to create a 360-degree view of the vehicle’s surroundings, continuously identifying the road, traffic signals, pedestrians, other vehicles, and various obstacles.

An AI system processes the data from these sensors in real-time, deciding within milliseconds when to brake, accelerate, turn, or avoid an obstacle. In essence, the software makes almost all driving-related decisions autonomously.

Autonomous vehicles do not currently operate on every road; they typically run within pre-mapped, geofenced areas. High-definition digital maps of these zones are prepared in advance, providing the AI ​​system with detailed information about roads, lanes, and traffic patterns. Consequently, the Robotaxi service will initially launch in select cities and on limited routes.

According to a Financial Times report, Uber is not developing all the technology for this project in-house. Instead, the company is partnering with several firms specializing in autonomous vehicle technology, including Waymo, Zoox, Lucid, Rivian, and others. Uber is focusing on integrating these technologies into its platform to establish a large-scale robotaxi network.

Currently, Uber has not announced any plans to phase out human drivers. In the initial stages, robotaxis will operate only in select cities and on specific routes. Additionally, monitoring systems may be employed in certain areas during the early phase for safety reasons.

However, in the long run, if driverless technology proves to be more reliable and cost-effective, the need for human drivers is likely to diminish significantly in areas such as airport routes, city centers, and designated urban corridors. At the same time, new job opportunities could emerge in areas like the monitoring, maintenance, charging, cleaning, and operation of autonomous fleets.