Something that doesn't seem to be discussed here is the insane cost of actually equipping a city with a fleet of self driving cars. Whilst a fantastic idea there's also some other things to consider – vandalisation, loading stations, etc. I'd like to see a more in depth perspective before I say yay or nay.
The thinking is that personal cars have say 5-8% utilization (how many hours a week do you drive your car?), and people still buy them. Taxibots could have something like 70% utilization, or more if people start travelling at all hours of the night. (Which they might do because taxibot rates are lower in the wee hours, perhaps.) If a household can afford to own a personal car, it can definitely afford to pay the fees for its small portion of a taxibot fleet.
