Agree with your reasoning, RalphCramden.


SO WHY do the vast majority of companies use larger cabs now?

How about... no one makes taxis, companies make cars, most of which are bought by regular people who for obvious reasons want a back seat. So that's what taxi-drivers buy. And then on top of that, many taxis are used by the taxi driver as their regular car, when they are not working. And then, there is the tradition of sitting in the back seat, when you take a taxi with a driver in the front seat. There are a few cars that come without a back seat, but then, when you have a driver driving them, that means only 1 spot left for the passenger, and while 3 passengers or more at the same time is fairly unusual, having 2 passengers at a time is quite common. So a 2-seater with just one seat for the passenger would mean the driver would have to turn down a lot of rides.

But it seems to me the major problem with the idea of a cybercab is that we may still be a long way away from having the software ready to use it. What would be your over/under on the time frame when these things could be functional? I haven't followed the latest news about full self driving, but my impression was that many experts still think we are a decade away.

dtb