Driverless cabs like Waymo have been gaining momentum in the cities of San Francisco, Phoenix, and Los Angeles. With the rising interest in these kinds of autonomous vehicles, many wonder and fantasize if people in Asian countries like India can enjoy the idea of driverless cabs.
However, it comes with a plethora of questions. Would they work on India’s inconsistent roads? How the traffic filled with chaos and honking culture, with no discipline in lanes would be handled? But what would this mean for India’s sprawling driver base and infrastructure?
Are driverless cabs suitable for India?
In this blog, we will take a look at driverless cabs in India like Waymo are a suitable option to explore in the country. Let’s consider the hazards:
Danger in roads and traffic mess
Most of the roads in India are far away from the neat, and tidy as compared to relatively homogenized streets in San Francisco or even Phoenix. The technology, which utilises a combination of cameras, radar and Lidar along with artificial intelligence software to navigate through structured environments works efficiently in controlled settings but Indian roads are ‘completely opposite’ the world’s most famous test venues.
Lane discipline is almost non-existent, and traffic signals are deemed optional despite a ruling traffic book. Wiith the number of vehicles on the tarmac rivalling that of living beings — humans, animals et al can be out in full force walking down streets alongside speeding motors.
Driverless cabs like Waymo are designed to work efficiently, heed stop signs, prioritize lane markings and detect objects at a distance of 300 meters with sensors. Unlike in the US, stop signs are very rarely seen on roads in India and a motorist seldom hangs back at an intersection either – again using her/his experience to gauge others’ intentions from continuous eye contact or subtle notes of honking.
Waymo car, which might stop at every sign or pause when faced with a jaywalking pedestrian (despite it being completely legal to cross the SRP road near Tempe’s universities) could cause gratuitous traffic jams in an already crowded roadway. Here is what Ayush from Tech Today has to say on this matter:
Autonomous vehicles also use 360-degree sensors and deep-learning architectures to predict other vehicle movements, using a system like Waymo’s VectorNet to interpret complex traffic scenarios. Although excellent in controlled environments, the constantly evolving manpower challenges of India like erratic lane changes, unauthorised parking and rampant speeding on uneven topography might put even tougher demands on AI systems. These cars are very likely to grind to a halt in ordinary traffic.
Driverless cabs in India may lay off automatic drivers
Another more profound issue could be labour in India. More than 80000 drivers might be rendered jobless in India if driverless taxis were to be introduced reported to the published source. India would face an acute employment crisis given how its economy is critically dependent on low-skill jobs with fashionable titles. Autonomous vehicles replace hundreds of thousands or even millions of taxi, auto and rickshaw drivers whose sole source is income from driving their autos through usually heavily congested city streets.
Unlike Western countries, reactive strategies are much too expensive in India as they do not have Social safety nets. If laid off, workers likely lose their unemployment benefits and retraining opportunities. So the vulnerable and shouldering cost of such a transition to driverless cabs in India falls over their low-skilled head!
Infrastructure challenges
Apart from the traffic, the infrastructure of India is one more obstacle to overcome. Parking is a big problem in several cities of India. There are limited assigned parking spaces and many vehicles are parked in an irregular manner causing more congestion. Waymo’s driverless taxis, for example, use surface lots in cities like San Francisco. Without this organised parking system in India, these cars could lead to haphazard and improper spaces for them to park causing more traffic blockages.
And in San Francisco, Waymo cars have been caught honking at one another as they queue to park neatly into designated lots. He’d also have to get used to the honking culture in India, where drivers beep their horns constantly just to say that they’re there or sometimes when frustrated. If Waymo cannot be calibrated for the detection of that special traffic signal, it could overly stop WNUs or confuse drivers.
Rules and legal system
Traffic rules in India are somewhat soft. Driverless cars obey a rigid set of rules and protocols typical to their program. But, these rules tend to be broken in India. Add another layer of complexity and consider that while a Waymo might slam into the brakes for an infraction it detects, in India, pedestrians stride across vast roads without waiting at intersections. It might confuse driverless systems this behaviour is punctuated with reckless driving from other vehicles, leading to some unintended consequences.
India too, does not have the most defined regulatory framework for automated vehicles. Although the U.S. and other countries have developed or are in the process of creating laws specifically for driverless cars, India does not yet even possess a legal and regulatory framework compatible with it across wide areas to address the technology accurately. Failure to enact regulations for driverless cabs might lead to various worst-case consequences like hazardous circumstances, legal hurdles, and public mistrust or suspicion.
Thus, driverless cabs are headed for extinction rather than Millenium in India — at least not till the roads get better. With bad traffic, no infrastructure and millions of jobs dependent on drivers it’s a perfect place for driver-less cars. But perhaps the biggest catch is that driverless cars would be a social and economic disaster — especially for people who currently do driving work. Driverless cars may be somewhat far-fetched in India until the time we have better roads, enforce traffic rules more stringently and take care of employees who will become displaced workers when these vehicles finally arrive.
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