A big part of the actual value of "driverless" to :porky-happy: is using it as an extension of the privatized surveillance state. I've even had bazingas tell me directly that they want their future magic car to be "rented out" when they aren't using it so it's constantly making revenue for them as some wasteful version of mass transit with extra steps. They seem to want centralization through corporations and seem to want to be monitored and directed through the same but want that "freedom" illusion all the while because mass transit that does better for cheaper with a lot less waste involves being around the poors, and they can't have that.
Is that really all it is? Some techbro hangup about seeing poor people?
They believe their magic car will someday make them rent money. I don't know how far they'd believe me if I told them otherwise.
To be honest i would much rather pay per use to go hiking or to the beach than just have a car I don't use 80% of the time because i'm either using transit or :sicko-biker:. Of course, if short-term rental becomes more popular, the renting companies will just gouge the same way they do now, but now I won't even be able to have my own car.