'Self-Driving Cars Won't Be the New Normal,' Says Ciro Vitolo, General Manager of Airline Limousine
Although they were deemed the way of the future, self-driving cars won't replace regular cars anytime soon
TORONTO, April 11, 2018 (Newswire.com) - The technology behind self-driving vehicles is advancing towards full autonomy, but it won’t be replacing anyone in the transportation industry anytime soon says Ciro Vitolo, General Manager of Airline Limousine.
All the major car companies are working on their own version of the self-driving car, from Tesla to Volvo. Billions of dollars have been invested in this new technology and big leaps have been made in the capability of artificial intelligence. However, Vitolo believes that industries such as his will be safe for the foreseeable future:
“I’d like to think that my staff and I know what Canadians want when it comes to personal transportation. Our company, Airport Limousine, has over 70 years of experience driving Canadians to and from the airport. And although our services tend to cost more than a traditional taxi, our business is still doing great. That’s because our drivers can provide something that other can’t — full transparency. That’s something that even the easiest-to-use driverless car won’t be able to provide.”
“Let’s use cost as an example. How much does it cost for a round trip pick-up & drop-off at the airport using our service? Easy, call and ask us and we’ll give you a quote. How much would the same service be using a self-driving car? Well that’s tough to say. There’s some factors that need to be accounted for, such as: What are the operating costs of such a service? How much would insurance on such vehicles run? What insurance company is going to step up and insure an autonomous vehicle? What would be the product life of a self-driving car? It’ll have more complicated parts than a regular car meaning more opportunities for it to break.
“Safety concerns run into a similar issue,” says Vitolo. “How the onboard AI will react in certain situations is unknown. Unless the programming is universal, what the best outcome for a given situation may change company to company and even model to model.”
What Vitolo is alluding to is the Trolley Problem, something that has been at the forefront of AI ethics.
“I’m confident that while driverless cars may change the transportation industry, limousine and taxi services will continue to be relevant,” says Vitolo. “Canadians want accountability and transparency. Both of those are our specialty.”
About Airline Limousine:
Airline Limousine has been Ontario’s corporate choice since 1936. With over 70 years of experience, they pride themselves on offering the best in quality to and from Toronto Pearson Airport for their clients. Airline Limousine is a Canadian owned and operated company and they make sure that customer service comes first. They’re a premier service that operates to and from Toronto Pearson, a world-class renowned facility.
Source: Airline Limousine