Level 4 autonomous vehicles will eliminate the need for a traditional vehicle driver; including those in the taxi, ride-sharing, chauffeur and bus industries. 

OBSERVATIONS

• 654,300 people employed as bus drivers in 2012 generating  $19.3 billion of compensation. Source
• 220,000 people employed as taxi and chauffeur drivers in 2012 generating $5.3 billion of compensation. Source
• 160,000 people drive for UBER Source
• 12,400 limousine companies operating 126,000 vehicles. Source

FUTURE IMPACT

• Level 3: A human occupant is required in the taxi or bus while the computer has control of most driving functions. Significant reduction in crashes and moving violations.

• Level 4: Human driver eliminated. Vehicles redesigned to act as autonomous single- and multiple-passenger vehicles.

• Maximizing capacity utilization will significantly reduce the number of cars and buses on the road.
• Majority of the 1 million jobs in the industry eliminated.

SUPPORTING MATERIALS

• RoboCab: Driverless Taxi Experiment to Start in Japan
• Once a sure bet, taxi medallions becoming unsellable
• Amazon Air unmanned aerial vehicle program 
• Yutong completes world’s first trial operation of unmanned bus.