We're not the only ones grappling with this question – it affects the future of the car service sector. How will customers who book chauffeured vehicles today plan their mobility in five, ten or twenty years?
What is happening in the market at the moment?
A major upcoming American company has already answered this question. It recently signed an initial contract with Mercedes-Benz for 100,000 driverless Mercedes S-Class sedans. In addition, for some time, it has been involved in the development of autonomous cars. Some analysts say that driverless luxury vehicles will take care of the mobility needs of sophisticated clients in the near future. In fact, this particular company plans to play a major role in this development.
How should car service providers react?
It is a matter of survival that companies stay abreast of important developments in the respective markets and continuously evolve. In our opinion, it is important for every limousine entrepreneur to know what customers think about this driverless mobility solution and what, if any, related services are available – even in terms of their strategic planning. are Will respond.
What does driverless mobility mean for commuting?
The most important factor is price. Drivers and office support staff have always made up the largest portion of the total cost of this service, which will be significantly reduced through automation and dispensing with both drivers and office staff.
Already today it is possible to book a driver service over the internet or smartphone apps. In this way, the starting point and final destination of the journey - along with possible intermediate destinations - are known and can be programmed into the vehicle's software. The passenger can call the vehicle on his mobile phone whenever needed. As such I do not foresee any problems with the technical feasibility of finding an optimal solution in a few years.
What speaks against autonomous mobility?
The main argument against driverless options is that there is no human contact person, assistant or helper. This service will turn into a self-service for the customer. How will the goods be delivered and loaded into the vehicle? How will the vehicle be notified of changes to the itinerary? Who would be there to recommend a wonderful restaurant for a business dinner? And who will be available for discussion? Another factor that needs to be highlighted is the security aspect. The research community suggests that autonomous vehicles have slightly lower accident rates. This argument is understandable. But what about the personal security of a high-ranking politician or the CEO of a large company? Based on previous experiences with IT-based systems, it can be expected that hackers can compromise this technology. Is it conceivable that per-input hijacking via the keyboard will also become a possibility in the future? Is there a scene where the words spoken in the car are spread across the internet minutes later?
Talk to us.
Did we miss something important? Let us know what you think. Do you agree with our arguments or do you have a different view? We look forward to your comments, especially if you are a (potential) customer of luxury mobility services or if you are in the limousine business yourself.
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