Driverless cars both a challenge and opportunity
China DailyA technician conducts a road test on a self-driving vehicle in Wuhan, Hubei province, on July 4. Second, the proliferation of driverless vehicles could render drivers, particularly ride-hailing drivers, jobless, not least because the current high maintenance cost of driverless vehicles is bound to significantly reduce with technological advancements and mass production. Some companies are already organizing training programs to help current drivers transition to maintenance personnel or monitoring staff jobs for driverless vehicles. For example, Apollo Go has absorbed safety operators and technical maintenance personnel in its autonomous taxi service, which will help existing ride-hailing drivers to maintain their income while adapting to the advancement of driverless technology. For example, Germany's large-scale vocational training programs at a time when the country introduced automation to the manufacturing sector helped workers acquire new skills and transition smoothly to new jobs.