There’s a large portion of the population in the US, mostly lower income, that commutes two hours a day. Solving self driving means giving those people that time back. That’s time that can be used to relax, take a nap, communicate with friends, etc. Self driving will be a boon for mental health.
alternatively, we can reshape cities with better public transit, liveable walkable areas, and allow people to not need a car. europe and asia look at america and shake their heads. which is money more well spent?
Considering how modern, US society was built for cars perhaps it's only fair we dial that back a bit. The end result is likely to be more humane and ecologically sustainable.
Absolutely, we should be building public transportation for the next generation. But pretending that it’s a solution for people today and using it as an excuse not to build self driving cars is short sighted and stupid.
