If you haven't yet heard of Uber, you’ve been missing out on one of the growing trends in recent times. In terms of apps that provide services, Uber now sits atop the most popular options and for good reason. For many years, the taxi ride home from the airport almost doubled the amount we paid for travel alongside the air fare. With Uber, we can suddenly connect with a network of local drivers who are happy to take us from A to B. With fewer restrictions and regulations in place, we can enjoy reduced fees.

However, it looks as though the industry will soon take one step further into the future with self-driving cars. By having no driver and no labor to pay for, the cost will reduce once again and this is the aim of ‘RoboTaxis’.

As an Uber project, RoboTaxis are fully-autonomous and, in a recent report from UBS, they could be employed within just a few years. If all goes to plan, this will cut fares for all passengers by 80% thus making it the cheapest mode of transport available for all. In fact, we could take it a step further because research suggests RoboTaxis could be twice as cheap as owning a car, buying insurance, paying for gas, and more. With this in mind, could we soon see car ownership tumble with everyone relying on RoboTaxis instead?

For those worried about safety, we aren't quite in the realms of this becoming the norm just yet because there is more research to come for Uber and all car manufacturers. Before they become common on the roads, the vehicles will have to pass stringent vehicle checks. However, there are many benefits to be enjoyed once they do get introduced.

Not only will the roads be more predictable (leading to fewer incidents), there’s a potential for less traffic with ride shares and cities will have less congestion since parking will no longer be an issue. What’s more, the car parks themselves could be reduced in size and used more efficiently.

Around 30 years ago, all the movies were predicting the ‘future’. With self-driving cars as one of the main features, it looks as though we could finally be here so what do you think about this? Are you excited for autonomous vehicles or would you prefer to be in control of your journey (even if it costs twice as much)?

Tags: Auto industry ,  autonomous cars,  Technology,  Uber