Taxis with human drivers preferred to robotaxis in eight countries

Survey in eight countries finds unease about riding in driverless cars

Of respondents in eight countries, Britons were the most likely to say they would feel uncomfortable riding in a driverless car: 73% said so, while 20% said they would feel comfortable, according to a YouGov survey. More than 60% of British respondents expected driverless vehicles to have a negative impact on jobs, and around 20% predicted negative consequences for the economy and society as a whole, Auto Express reports, citing the same survey.

Across all eight countries, 48–69% of respondents preferred a taxi or ride-hailing service with a human driver. Among those comfortable with the idea of a driverless ride, robotaxis were preferred to taxis with drivers in every country surveyed. But when asked to choose between a driverless ride and driving themselves, no more than half of that group chose the driverless option in any country. In Poland, it was nonetheless more popular than driving themselves among those comfortable with a driverless ride.

In every country surveyed except Italy, more respondents believed driverless cars would one day be as safe as human drivers than believed that was impossible. In those countries, 21–38% considered that level of safety unattainable. In Italy, skeptics outnumbered respondents who expected driverless cars to reach it.