#171 Taking a driverless taxi in China 在中国坐无人驾驶出租车

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Does everyone know about driverless technology? Driverless technology means driving a car, a train, a plane, etc., without needing a person—just using AI. Many car companies are already using this technology, like Tesla. Now, China is applying this technology to taxis. In Wuhan, there are 1,000 driverless taxis. Some people support this, while others oppose it. Supporting means thinking something is good. Opposing means thinking something is bad and not wanting to do it. Today, let’s talk about driverless taxis in China.

Wuhan in China is the first city to have driverless taxis. In March 2024, Wuhan began offering driverless taxi services. Initially, Wuhan had 500 driverless cars, and later, the number gradually increased to 1,000. These driverless cars are electric, not petrol-powered. Electric cars are vehicles that run on electricity. Petrol cars are vehicles that need petrol to run. Electric cars are more environmentally friendly, meaning they are better for the environment. These driverless taxis operate 24 hours a day and are very cheap—approximately six yuan for three kilometres, compared to about ten yuan for other taxis. So far, these driverless taxis have already provided five million rides.

What do people think of these driverless cars? Many people support them, thinking they are not only convenient but also cheap. Moreover, since driverless cars are relatively slow and follow traffic rules, they are considered safer. Traffic rules are laws that people must follow when driving or walking, such as stopping at red lights and going on green lights.

Although many people support them, there are also many who oppose them, such as taxi drivers in Wuhan. The taxi drivers are very angry, feeling that these driverless taxis have taken away their livelihoods. The term “饭碗” originally means the bowl people use to eat, but here it doesn’t refer to a literal bowl. It means people’s jobs. Taxi drivers feel that driverless cars have taken away their jobs, causing them to earn less money or even become jobless. Some people also say, “AI should make people’s lives better, not take away their jobs.”

However, it seems the drivers’ opposition is ineffective because Wuhan plans to have even more driverless taxis in the future. Now, let’s review today’s vocabulary:

• 无人驾驶Driverless technology: Driving a car, train, plane, etc., without needing a person—just using AI.
• 赞成Support: Thinking something is good and wanting to do it.
• 反对Oppose: Thinking something is bad and not wanting to do it.
• 电车Electric car: A car that runs on electricity.
• 汽油车Petrol car: A car that needs petrol to run.
• 环保Environmentally friendly: Good for the environment. We can say, “Electric cars are more environmentally friendly than petrol cars.”
• 交通规则Traffic rules: Laws that people must follow when driving or walking.
• 饭碗: Originally means the bowl people use to eat, but here it means people’s jobs. We can say, “Driverless cars have taken away the drivers’ livelihoods,” meaning driverless cars have taken away the drivers’ jobs.

What do you think about this issue? Do you support or oppose driverless taxis? You can leave us a comment to share your opinion!