Imagining a Future Where Chicagoans Get Around in Free Driverless Cars

I didn’t smell like air freshener inside. He glanced around. It was clean, its gray and plush side seats. The driver and passenger seats were still there, as was the steering wheel. It was just a regular SUV turned into a self-driving car. A kind of evolution. Interesting. Her mother knocked on the window, and Jelu was shocked when it opened in response. He and his mother looked at each other for a moment and then they both laughed. “Wow,” her mother said, a surprised look on her face. “I know,” agreed Jelu.

“Are you going to be okay?”

Jelu said, “I am going to the lake. “I’ll be fine.”

“Call me if you need me. I can come get you.”

“Please prepare for your journey,” announced an automated voice. Her mother jumped back, as if the SUV was about to run over her.

Jelu said, “Well, mother. “Its sensors know you’re there. It won’t move until you’re at a safe distance.”

“I’ll believe it when I see it,” said his mother.

“you almost”

His mother waved as the car slowly drove away. Jelu waved back.

And then he was alone and his life was in the hands of the SUV.

“It’s so strange,” he muttered as he watched the steering wheel move by itself. This is the first time he got into a moving car by himself. There was no one there, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that there was a presence; something was under control. It was like being driven by a ghost. “Or should I say nobody,” he said to himself, laughing.

When the car came to a halt on the main road, his joy vanished.

He believed in the science behind self-driving vehicles. The technology has been around for a few years now and he has been researching this new cab service for the past few months. The idea of ​​being able to order with her phone like Uber and not have to deal with a man who looks at her strangely, asks awkward questions, might be a serial killer and more, was a great thought. More importantly, it would free him from his family. Whenever he asked one of them for a ride, they responded with this strange mix of pity, control, and duty. He didn’t think they knew they did it. It always leaves him feeling pathetic and childish, even when it’s driven by one of his younger siblings. Oh, to be free of that feeling.

Still, at this moment, he wanted to scream in terror. He dug his nails into the armrest of his chair. Despite all the research and reassurances she had spoken to the customer service people, it was very different now that it was happening in real time. What if there was an error and it counted incorrectly? What if the other driver does something crazy that the SUV can’t understand or accommodate? What if there was a solar flare and the whole car died?

“Shit!” He screamed as the SUV swerved. “I’m going to die!”

Then they are on the road. Jelu peeked out and laughed with relief, still sweating bullets. The car just went the speed limit, which meant everyone else passed it. Several people did a double take to record video, a few pointed and two grabbed the phone. Jelu was too stressed to pay any price for it. They were approaching the highway.