Link: https://apnews.com/article/automated-driverless-transit-dc-la-honolulu-dd55ecec4b5c9779fbaa3e43b247e0ce

Even as automated vehicles such as robotaxis grow more prevalent in the U.S., almost every mass transit system still requires a driver or operator on board. Two major cities are seeking to change that.

Officials in Washington, D.C., recently advanced a plan that could let computers fully control one of its subways, and Los Angeles is seeking to build a new, completely automated line. Honolulu already has one.

The Washington and LA projects, which would take years to implement and still face financial and technical hurdles, come amid an already fierce debate over the safety risks and benefits of automated trains and whether the substantial upfront expense is worth the long-term savings in labor costs.

You'd need platform screen doors at each station first. And better door sensors. My local system drags someone to their death about once a year.

Skytrain in Vancouver, a Linear induction motor based metro system, has been driverless since 1985, without platform screen doors. There are cameras on each platform and a system to detect people entering the track area.

Sounds like they'd basically be cutting a driver to add half a dozen monitors.

The Dubai Metro is very similar to the SkyTrain. No drivers, and they have female-only cars too.

Because it’s in the United States, even a system designed to help people has to find a way to fuck people

When you think about staffing for early mornings, late nights, weekends, holidays honestly it's insane. If we really more frequent service especially outside rush hour it's gotta be cheaper to run. With tech today you can have cameras on the front of every train and an office that can be alerted whenever something looks odd.

Calls for better safety at Vancouver SkyTrain stations after 122 incidents reported over 10 years.

While that averages out to just a dozen incidents of "train-human contact" per year, the article states the rates have actually doubled between 2023 and 2025 when compared to pre-pandemic levels.

“Uh-huh, and how do we attach this to ads or a subscription service?”