The Internet of bricks

Posted Apr 7, 2016 15:21 UTC (Thu) by jmspeex (subscriber, #51639)
In reply to: The Internet of bricks by renox
Parent article: The Internet of bricks

Actually, a taxi/bus system is going to be very easy to use when you want to go to a park with your three babies. Just call it, get it, get out at the park, and don't worry about having to park it. Then call it again when you're done. There's hop or greatly reducing the number of cars on the road and the amount of parking space necessary.

The Internet of bricks

Posted Apr 7, 2016 22:15 UTC (Thu) by renox (guest, #23785) [Link] (9 responses)

I'm a bit skeptical that there will be enough taxi with 3 baby seats inside..
Plus the baby seats would have to be standardized: babies doesn't like change and parents doesn't like to learn a new fixation system each time they want to move.

The Internet of bricks

Posted Apr 8, 2016 0:37 UTC (Fri) by ssmith32 (subscriber, #72404) [Link] (8 responses)

I've had taxis and Lyfts that were family vans. If you can't fix three babies in a family van... maybe you're doing it wrong?

The Internet of bricks

Posted Apr 8, 2016 5:32 UTC (Fri) by bronson (subscriber, #4806) [Link] (7 responses)

Toddler seats are bulky, heavy, and a pain in the ass to install. No way one person is carrying three of them.

No worries though. The job done by one drivered van with three baby seats can also be done by three driverless cars with one baby seat each. For in-town trips anyway.

The Internet of bricks

Posted Apr 8, 2016 5:33 UTC (Fri) by bronson (subscriber, #4806) [Link] (1 responses)

Also, baby seats are only meant to protect the baby in the event of a crash. If driverless cars hardly ever crash, maybe baby seats won't be worth the expense/hassle anymore.

The Internet of bricks

Posted Apr 14, 2016 11:04 UTC (Thu) by callegar (guest, #16148) [Link]

If driverless cars work as reliably as mobile phones do, going around is going to get interesting.

The Internet of bricks

Posted Apr 8, 2016 7:54 UTC (Fri) by renox (guest, #23785) [Link] (2 responses)

You're joking right? The car may be autonomous, but the babies ARE NOT autonomous and would not like staying alone in an unknown area.

The Internet of bricks

Posted Apr 8, 2016 8:07 UTC (Fri) by karkhaz (subscriber, #99844) [Link]

Yes, I wouldn't advocate for leaving small children in single-passenger cars.

But a self-driving taxi fleet does offer so many opportunities for parents! Do you have any idea how expensive it is to buy a push-chair, then sell it and buy a two-seater pushchair when you have a second child. Buy a bigger car, then buy another one when your child takes up skiing or playing the double-bass. Plus the hassle of baby chairs as pointed out above.

Not having to own any of this stuff would save so much money. Need a car with three baby chairs? Call one out, just for you. It'll be more expensive than using a bus, but much less than owning exactly the right type of vehicle for epsilon years and then selling it at a loss.

Big companies can afford to own one of every esoteric type of car due to economies of scale. When you stop needing it, the next parent/kayaker/big-game hunter/regular commuter/whatever can use it.

The Internet of bricks

Posted Apr 8, 2016 17:11 UTC (Fri) by bronson (subscriber, #4806) [Link]

Sure, I'd be OK putting my 3 year old in an autonomous car for 10 minutes, as long as I'm in the car immediately behind. It would probably the statistically safest environment he'd be in all day. (assuming they live up to the hype, we'll see)

The Internet of bricks

Posted Apr 8, 2016 8:28 UTC (Fri) by paulj (subscriber, #341) [Link] (1 responses)

Or just carry 0 of them. Taxi regulations over here at least exempt taxis and buses from child seat regulations. So, in such cases, a non-issue, assuming the number of children that can not sit by themselves (i.e. under 1) are fewer than the number of adults.

The Internet of bricks

Posted Apr 8, 2016 8:54 UTC (Fri) by renox (guest, #23785) [Link]

> a non-issue, assuming the number of children that can not sit by themselves (i.e. under 1) are fewer than the number of adults.

.. a assumption not currently valid in my case (<2 year old twins) but which won't be the case for a very long time.

That said, for taxis (automated or not) I would be very nervous not having baby seats, even if the driver is perfect, the other drivers aren't perfect so..