MIT Study Says 3,000 Uber Cabs Could Serve NYC And Obliterate The Taxi Industry

For those who might not be aware of it yet, yes, Taxi cabs still do exist in New York City despite the sizeable presence of Uber in the metropolis. However, a new study by MIT suggests that if the city’s residents really wanted to, they could reduce the number of cabs in the city by only 3,000 Uber services. All they would need to do is be ready to share their rides with other New Yorkers; should be easy, right?

According to the paper that the institution’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) published, carpooling could significantly reduce the number of vehicles on the road of NYC, which Uber could easily provide. If this is the case, it would certainly go a long way towards freeing up some space on the streets since it would also result in the destruction of the taxi industry.

There are over 13,000 taxi cabs driving around the American metropolis right now, The Verge reports. Each of these vehicles can hold up to four passengers comfortably, but more often than not, they are never full to capacity. This contributes to the famous traffic jams that have plagued New York City since cars became a mainstream item. By choosing to share rides with strangers, however, these 13,000 cabs could be replaced by only 3,000.

Both Uber and Lyft are already offering such services to customers who want it, which does result in a cheaper fare. Even Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk weighed in on the option in the past, suggesting that a bus-hailing app could be the future of public transportation, Inverse reports.

Whatever the case, this report is only going to fuel the debate between whether or not to accept that companies like Uber and the taxi industry’s destruction are inevitable. By adding autonomous cabs into the mix, however, it would certainly seem like the odds are with ride-hailing companies.