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RECENTLY I TOOK a free ride on a driverless bus trialling its proposed route, part of my local administration’s ten-year rollout plan for self-driving public transport and taxis. I see real potential in this technology, and I’m hoping the infrastructure and implementation stay on schedule. That hope is mostly selfish, I’ll admit.
In fifteen years I’ll be in my mid-seventies, and I’d love to ditch my car and rely on cheap, dependable robo-taxis instead. It would give me freedom precisely in that decade of life when driving starts to become genuinely problematic. I’m planning to change my car in 2027 for a modern hybrid, but in the back of my mind is the thought that it could be my last.
If the self-driving rollout hits its targets, I can see the case for never buying another. The advantages for someone in my demographic at that stage of life would be hard to argue with. Think about what car ownership actually costs. There’s the purchase price, insurance, road tax, fuel, servicing, tyres, and the occasional bill that arrives like a punch to the stomach.
For most people, a car is the second most expensive thing they own after their home. In retirement, when income typically drops and budgets tighten, that ongoing drain becomes harder to justify. This is especially true when the car spends the vast majority of its time sitting on a driveway looking pretty.
A robo-taxi model, where you pay only for the journeys you actually take, could represent a dramatic shift in how much personal transport really costs. The numbers, I suspect, will be compelling — with current estimates from real world operations suggesting an 80% reduction in the cost of fares being achievable. Then there’s the question of independence.
This is the one that matters most to me personally, and I’d imagine it resonates with anyone approaching or already in their later years. Giving up your car keys is one of those milestones that nobody really talks about, but everyone in that demographic understands. It represents a loss of spontaneity and self-sufficiency that can genuinely affect quality of life.
The difference with autonomous vehicles is that surrendering the wheel doesn’t have to mean surrendering the freedom. A reliable, affordable self-driving taxi available on demand restores something that previous generations simply had to go without once driving became difficult. This could be a trip to the supermarket on a weekday morning or a late evening visit to family.
The safety dimension is also worth considering. Reaction times slow as we age. Night vision deteriorates. Concentration over long distances becomes harder.
Most older drivers are aware of this and manage it carefully, but there comes a point for everyone where the road becomes a source of anxiety rather than freedom. Autonomous vehicles remove that calculation entirely. You get in, state your destination, and arrive, without the cognitive load of navigating, anticipating other drivers, or worrying whether your responses are still sharp enough. That peace of mind shouldn’t be underestimated.
There are wider social benefits too. Older people who can no longer drive are disproportionately affected by isolation. Poor rural transport links, infrequent bus services, and the general assumption that everyone has access to a car all contribute to a situation where many retired people find their world gradually shrinking.
Autonomous vehicles, particularly if integrated intelligently with existing public transport, have the potential to reverse that. A robo-taxi that can be summoned by a smartphone, or even a simple voice command, could keep people connected to their communities, their families, and their routines far longer than is currently possible. There are, of course, reasons to be cautious.
Technology rollouts rarely go entirely to plan. The ten-year schedule my local administration is working to is ambitious, and a lot can change in funding priorities, in public appetite, and in the regulatory environment. The early trials are promising, but promising trials and full-scale dependable infrastructure are very different things.
It’s worth keeping in mind, with a groan inducing pun: your mileage will vary — literally. Dense urban and suburban areas will almost certainly see reliable services first, and I’m fortunate that describes my situation. For those in more rural communities, the very people for whom isolation is already the sharpest problem, the wait could be considerably longer.
I’m hopeful, but I’m not banking on it entirely. Which is why the 2027 hybrid still makes sense. It’s a practical hedge, a good, modern, efficient car that will serve me well through the transition years, whatever pace that transition takes. But the fact that I’m already thinking of it as potentially my last car feels significant.
A decade ago that thought wouldn’t have crossed my mind. The technology has moved from science fiction to credible near-future fast enough to genuinely reshape how I’m thinking about retirement planning. If it delivers, the generation hitting their seventies in the late 2030s could be the first in history for whom ageing and mobility don’t have to be in conflict.
That’s not a small thing. That might turn out to be one of the most personally transformative shifts of the entire autonomous vehicle revolution. It is not about the flashy early adopters or the logistics industry efficiencies. Instead, it is the simple dignity of an older person getting where they need to go, independently, on their own terms.
I’m hopeful I’ll be taking that ride and certain my children and grandchildren definitely will.
Mark Crothers is a retired small business owner from the UK with a keen interest in personal finance and simple living. Married to his high school sweetheart, with daughters and grandchildren, he knows the importance of building a secure financial future. With an aversion to social media, he prefers to spend his time on his main passions: reading, scratch cooking, racket sports, and hiking.
Driverless cars will change the lives of Seniors and the disabled. They will provide freedom and independence. I’m 62 and I hope autonomous cars are mainstream when I hit my 80s. Same with robots as partial caregivers when humans are not available 24/7.
What a forward thinking municipality you live in. I wish more towns would do this.
Mark, thanks for the article.
As I was reading this, I kept thinking that taxis and public transport exist already. Yep, they might cost less with future automation, but are they really too costly for you to afford now?
Also, I think we need to spare a thought for those who make their living from being professional drivers. History has shown that, from a macro view, new jobs are created to replace old jobs that become redundant. But on a micro scale, many individuals find the transition to a new career very, very difficult.
P.S. I was just thinking about the 80% cost reduction. If we assume that a taxi is used by 2 drivers working full time (so the taxi works about 16 hours a day). Google tells me that median taxi driver wage is about $36,000. So total salary costs would be $72,000. For costs to drop by 80% by taking out the drivers, that would mean that all other costs are about $18,000. Depreciation, insurance, fuel, automation system maintenance, remote safety monitoring, maintenance, tyres, repair damage, profit, overhead. All for $18,000. Just doesn’t seem right to me.
As a 70 year old, this is fascinating to me and I hope for the best.
Pete, technology has certainly come a long way. My first car, a Ford, was a far cry from today’s tech; it had a rubber bulb on the floor near the accelerator that you had to pump manually just to get the squirters working. It even had a manual choke you’d have to fiddle with just to get the engine firing on a cold winter morning. Comparing that to today, this self-driving technology still feels like pure science fiction.
My first car was a 1973 Mercury Capri and it also had the rubber bulb, plus a surrounding ring switch for a one-time sweep of the wipers! No choke, but this was back in the day of new emissions controls that failed to work much of the time (and were easily defeated, I might add). It had a four speed manual transmission, no A/C for summer temperatures, and balky heating when it was cold. But it got me where I needed to go – pretty reliably, I might add.
You’re right. When I owned that car, it was impossible to dream of either modern automobile technology or self-driving innovation.
Loved your article Mark. My wish is to have an autonomous car soon, that is in a few years. My 2018 Lexus RX350, has adaptive cruise control, so much improved over the previous styles, and very useful, as it will track the car ahead, it slows it goes slower if it goes 70 MPH it will go up to that. Very useful at my age. At 80 years old, I know from my parents that driving at 90 is not the same and can be dangerous for most of us. So my thinking was to get a so called Level 3 driving capability car supposedly available in a few cars in 2027 and even more in 2028. Looking forward to this new age for cars
William, I like the idea of adaptive cruise control. My 82-year-old neighbour at my vacation home has just bought a new Hyundai Tucson hybrid with this feature and he’s full of praise for it — though he’s not keen on the automatic lane correction. He finds it unnerving when the car jerks the steering wheel while he’s driving.
I’m fine with all the features expect automatic braking. That takes a WHOLE other level of confidence to let that one play out. And some cars you can’t control the “style” of the braking. They fly up on a car and hit the brakes pretty hard. There needs to be a setting to match your braking style.
I’m buying a new car next year, and I’m certain I’ll be wrestling with all these new features. Automatic braking is the one I’m dreading most — I can already picture myself stomping on the brake pedal and breaking out in a cold sweat the moment my new car decides to take over the braking.
Here’s my counterpoint to this piece. Deciding you’re too old to to do things when its not the case is a serious pitfall to not enjoying the last decade of your life.
It’s called “The Narrowing,” and is often discussed in orthopedic contexts describing the gradual, self-imposed reduction of physical activity and life experiences as people age, fear injury, or lose mobility. It is a lifestyle decline where individuals stop doing things they love—like walking or taking stairs—leading to further loss of independence.
Key Aspects of “The Narrowing”:
Physical Decline: As activity decreases, muscles shrink, fast-twitch fibers are lost, and fat infiltrates muscle, accelerating aging.
Mental/Behavioral Aspect: Fear and a desire for comfort cause people to avoid activities, which shrinks their world.
Resistance Training: Resistance training is essential to stop or reverse this process.
Preventable: The narrowing is not an inevitable result of aging, but rather a consequence of inactivity that can be mitigated by moving with intention.
Training to maintain functional capacity to avoid the narrowing ensures your body remains capable of doing what you love.
Stephen, I’d gently push back on this: planning for a tool isn’t the same as planning for a retreat. I’m not imagining myself on the sofa in my seventies — I’m imagining myself at a family dinner at eleven at night, or at a friend’s birthday across town, or at a gallery I’d have skipped because parking was a nightmare. The robo-taxi, if it works, doesn’t narrow anything. It removes a specific friction that currently stops some of those things from happening.
The Narrowing you’re describing is real and worth fighting. I just don’t think choosing your transport is where that battle is won or lost. That’s fought in the gym, on the walk, in the decision to say yes when it’s easier to say no. I’m hoping to do both — stay as capable as I can for as long as I can, and have a reliable way to get around when I want to act on that capability.
I finished reading Adam’s excellent weekly missive, and as I tapped the link to come to this article I was thinking: “I wish we actually had articles that address the impact of AI”, and voila, this article!
An excellent description of why self-driving technology can be useful, safe, and efficient with money.
We just spent a week down in Mission Beach San Diego, over our Spring Break. A rental car was going be $700 for the week, and parking extremely difficult. We decided to go 100% Uber. Fabulous decision. Total cost for the week was $300. It was lovely to Uber back to our beachside condo and just be dropped off, no parking hassles. A trip to the San Diego zoo dropped us right off at the front gate, no need to pay for parking. Being free of a vehicle was fabulous.
David, if you think about it, your San Diego trip could mean a full week of stress-free transport for under $100 — if robotaxis fulfil their potential, that is. It certainly makes the economic argument compelling.
All for it. But it will be yet another painful transition for those effected by automation. Bus drivers (along with long haul trucking, delivery drivers, etc.) are well paying jobs that don’t require experience/training. When these adjustments are slow, it only effects new workers, the existing workers slowly age out. But if this happens quickly, it will be a difficult adjustment for tens of thousands….
Worldwide many millions of jobs will be effected by automation. There are other things to consider. As I stand in line waiting for the human cashier at the grocery store I’m occasionally asked why I don’t use the self checkout. My response as I point to the 8 kiosks is “Those machines don’t pay taxes”. Not to the locality, county, state or federal. Add things like the fact that most roads are funded by gas taxes. When are the electric cars going to be captured?? Going to be a lot of hard choices to be made
Anthony, if we look at the 19th century industrial revolution, jobs were lost en masse, but lower production costs increased demand, which in turn created a need for workers to service the very machinery that had caused the initial job losses. Hopefully the same situation will arise with self-driving technology.
The safety dimension is also worth considering … as we age. Night vision deteriorates.
Don’t forget cataracts. For years mine had been slowly developing and I’d been getting more and more anxious about both night and daytime driving. I sold my car the day before arriving at my CCRC. Within a year I had the cataract surgeries, and I’m still glad not to be driving. Lots of our residents have happily stopped driving. No fear of isolation, of course, living in a community.
I take advantage of our frequent free bus trips in and out of town, and, now that I’ve also had the desperately needed hip replacement, I walk or ride my semirecumbent (nonelectric: flat Ohio terrain) trike all over town.
There’s also a free driver-driven e-bus operating on a daytime fixed-loop shuttle route around town that includes our CCRC. If driverless technology with pickup and drop-off communication can eventually handle e-bus transportation here, too, I’ll be interested to try it.
1PF, I can definitely say the driverless bus technology really works. I had a great time looking out of the window as the bright yellow cranes that built the Titanic glided past — I’m normally too preoccupied with traffic to pay attention to the historic surroundings. Although I have to say, watching the wheel move by itself is strange, to say the least.
Here is a true analyisis for the potential cost reduction of Robo Taxis vs. Uber
Robo taxis — fully autonomous ride-hailing services like Tesla Robotaxi or Waymo — are expected to cut ride costs by 50–84% compared to Uber in real-world tests, depending on distance and market.
Real-world examples
Thanks for the real-world data on the cost advantage — I really should have incorporated something like that into the article. I’m bad.
I agree with you. I’m already in my mid-70s and wish that autonomous vehicles were available now so I could give up my car. I’ve never really been a car person and have always driven less than most people.
I love to walk and frequently walk several miles per day. I also so have a recumbent tricycle. (Nothing like a child’s trike, it has two wheels in the front, one in the rear, and a low lawn chair-like seat.) My current one has electrical assist. Strangers frequently stop me to comment on how often they see me walk, two of them yesterday alone. Recently a boy around 12-years-old stopped me and said that his mother told him she remembers seeing me walking when she was a girl.
I’m all for either robo taxis or full autonomous driving capability. We finally got my father to stop driving two years ago at age 84. Luckily, he failed the test required to renew his license. His car was dented on all four corners and my sister said she wouldn’t get in the car if he was driving 🙂
Personally, I’d love to have a car that could just drive itself.
David, I have vivid memories of wandering around parking lots looking for my aunt’s car — she had dementia but still had a driving licence. It was a relief when her doctor finally revoked it.
Mark, I get your point about being able to be without a car in the future, but why does the fact that your bus or taxi does or doesn’t have a human driver matter to your mobility?
Michael, fair point — but the driver question is really an economics question in disguise. Human-driven taxis exist today and older people can use them. The problem is cost and availability. The robo-taxi model projects something in the region of an 80% reduction in fare costs compared to current alternatives, combined with genuine on-demand availability. That changes the calculation entirely — it’s what makes ditching future car ownership financially credible rather than just convenient. If I’m honest, that economic case deserved more space in the article than I gave it.
The 80% reduction doesn’t seem likely to me. There will still be depreciation, insurance, maintenance, and other costs associated with operating autonomous vehicles.
I already have access to on-demand bus service with nominal fares for seniors. However, I can still walk to most of the places that I can go to on one without having to change to another bus.
Gary, I would agree with you if we’re talking about privately owned autonomous vehicles . If we’re expanding the scope to include robotaxis, the majority of the costs are wages for the human operator.
I wouldn’t anticipate an 80% reduction in price. I just don’t see it. Hopefully you’re correct and I’m wrong!
Doug, I’m in total agreement with you… I hope your wrong 😉