Ghost Drivers
Destination weddings are very popular these days. My husband and I are in sunny Los Angeles for such an occasion this weekend. This particular wedding has three different venues, one in a neighboring town. The moving about has us using rider applications and I am learning that things continue to evolve, on the simplest of tasks.
We had visited the hotel next door, walking over, so that we could meet friends. This hotel was more upscale than ours, so I was enjoying the lobby art and statues, and the exquisite decor. My husband sauntered up and said, “There is a driver-less Jaguar out front. You should go and see it.”
I was convinced he had misidentified his luxury vehicle. Surely no Jaguar was wondering about out front with no driver in it. I walked to the front door but just missed the car as it exited.
“Honey, I’m pretty sure the apps don’t have cars like that to drive us,” I offered. I would be proven wrong shortly.
We were heading out to a restaurant, so we used our regular driver app (not too fancy) and began our journey once our driver arrived in his sedan. Shortly, I spotted what looked like a Robocar, white, with a dome of cameras and sensors, an army of them, on top. As our car approached this car at a red light, I recognized the brand. Damn if it wasn’t a Jaguar! The external rearview mirrors had tiny electronics mounted all over them.
I queried our driver about this robot car. He had seen them around town and had an interesting tale to share. There had been a car accident, and the police were directing traffic. He said the Robocar halted with traffic, but was unable to process the policemen’s hand directions, so it just stopped dead at the accident site, which now caused a logjam in an already auto-congested city.
The technology, called LiDAR, radar and cameras, detects everything around the vehicle. The software for processing situational deviations en route apparently still needs tweaking.
I shared with our driver that I enjoy the human touch of speaking with the person taking me to my destination. I get tips about “off-the-map” restaurants, learn which areas in a new city are safest, which to avoid. And the ride seems to go much faster when conversation is lively.
Once, in Albuquerque, New Mexico, a driver asked where we were from. When I said Texas, he held up his retired police badge. He shared an interesting murder case he had worked on, and I was amazed that I knew all about the case. We talked about this for the entire 45-minute drive. Only later did I remember that there had been a book about the case, which I had read with great interest. The tale spanned both Mexico and Houston, both places I am familiar with. I would have paid an entertainment fee for that ride, as the retired policeman-turned app driver, knew all the firsthand details of a famous murder.
My husband does not share my love of conversing with our drivers. He prefers quiet. We are opposites, and he gets stuck listening to my back and forth on many subjects, probably wishing he had a headset on.
I asked some friends what they thought about invisible drivers. One said she was tricked into riding in one when a friend summoned the ride without telling her. She was afraid to ride in the car she said but got used to it. Her sisters chimed in that they didn’t talk to their app drivers other than to offer a greeting upon entering the car, and a thanks when exiting.
I have been thinking about this new technology now as I am seeing more of the cars on the road in this modern city. This may be our future. I find a car with no driver as frightening and unwelcome as a ghost appearing in a dream.
Once again, my resistance to adapt to a new technology demonstrates a reluctance on my part to move with the developments of the world around us. I fear I am becoming old-fashioned.
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