Share a ride in the same way that an elevator is shared is Dr. Alain Kornhauser’s plea in above interview filmed at the AVS18 conference. Further, in a recent SmartDrivingCar podcast with Fred Fishkin, Kornhauser calculated that with the 80,000+ vehicles Waymo has on order, they could be providing 4 million rides per day within 24 months.
In the podcast, he suggests partnering with Uber could drive demand for Waymo’s service. Uber could also potentially provide rides to Waymo customers that have destinations outside Waymo’s geo-fenced areas. Kornhauser has got to be thrilled about yesterday’s announcement by Waymo that, beginning this month, they will be providing first/last-mile autonomous on-demand transportation to Valley Metro (Phoenix-area) public transit.
Stay tuned for parts 2 and 3 of the above interview, where Kornhauser talks about opportunities to improve accessibility for everyone, regardless of ability and where they live (e.g. the urban/suburban/rural mobility divide).
