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Tokyo, Japan: Driverless Taxis Soon On The Streets?


In this advanced tech nation, where robot hotel bellhops lug luggage and humanoid clerks check you in, this shouldn’t be unexpected. According to official reports, visitors will be able to hail computerized cabs in the Japanese capital city by 2020.

Consider the possibilities. If you remember the 1976 movie, Taxi Driver, would you want a robotically insane Robert De Niro (Travis Bickle) driving you around town? Also, after settling into back seat, will the automatic taxi driver automatically run up the meter by taking the longest route to your hotel?

If there’s a major pro sports event or convention in town, will the automatic taxi driver automatically up the rate 500 percent? Will the mechanical taxi driver refuse to take anyone wearing a hoodie? Will the robot taxi driver be programmed to laugh hysterically as it aims at little old ladies in wheelchairs as they cross the street?

Will we too soon have to say sayonara to Tokyo’s human taxi drivers?

Q: What Do I Do When A Passenger Grabs My Assigned Seat? PDF Print E-mail


On a recent flight, after boarding, I saw an elderly woman in my seat. I checked my boarding pass, and said she was in error. She refused to move.

When I told the flight attendant, he said the woman, who waved her cane at me, was handicapped and could not be moved. Angry as hell, I was sent to a seat in the rear. During the flight I saw the “handicapped” woman easily strolling the aisle several times. What should I have done? Jack R., Lafayette IN

A: Not much. You can later file a complaint with the airline, and maybe get a free future flight. Fake handicap pre-boarding, seat grabs and phony companion dog scams are all too frequent. The best way to react is not to lose your temper and just firmly state the facts to the airline. In flight, always cooperate with flight attendants, who must deal with these offenders daily.

 
 
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