I’ve taken two rides in driverless cars so far, both times alone, both times to dental appointments to which I was in a rush, and after which I wasn’t sure I’d be in a condition to drive, though both times I felt fine afterward and took the public bus home — once on a rapid bus, which is rapid indeed.
There are several competing models of self-driving cars that circle San Francisco like mundane sentries. One thing they have in common is their whir, which is similar to that of other electric vehicles. However, combined with the steadiness of their pace and their strict adherence to stop signs and stop lights, that whir has a far less revved-up vibe. It’s really more drone than whir. These driverless cars are drones that drone.
Once you’re inside such a vehicle, the touchscreen interface — as well as your phone — provides various options for music and sound environments, but during both my rides I almost immediately turned off the piped-in sound entirely, and just settled into that placid hum, experiencing the drone from the inside.
I still don’t know what to think about the impact — economic and otherwise — of driverless vehicles. I’m just reflecting, at the moment, on routine experience as a pedestrian and occasional driver, and now a two-time rider.