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Originally Posted by ssiguy
^^^ While I think your time frame of 5 to 10 years is a tad optimistic, I agree they will be one of the first things to be automated assuming they can take on the unions.
One has to remember that driver-less buses/streetcars bring with them other concerns that will need to be addressed. First, fare collection. How do you stop people from simply not paying. Fare gates at the doors is a no-go because it would inhibit people with mobility issues. Second, safety. A lot of people will be hesitant to use the buses when there is no driver and especially late night.
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You could eliminate the "problem" of people not paying... by just making buses free.
If we had electric buses of various sizes that had no driver, the marginal cost of increasing capacity would be very low so you could run them at very high frequencies, partially on demand. This would make transit much more useful and attractive, getting more people on public transit and reducing the costs associated with car use, so providing free buses could easily be revenue positive.
We have unattended transit already (Skytrain etc). Non issue. Use the money saved by eliminating the driver to increase the number of police etc, who are more qualified to deal with security.
The usual disclaimer of course; this ain't happening any time soon.