And the sad thing is that the self-driving vision is mostly about "how do we automate away an already precarious group of taxi/rideshare/lorry drivers."

Notice there's little discussion about automation as an efficiency tool (networking to smooth traffic flow, automatically draft for efficiency, schedule fleet vehicles for maximum utilization) Probably because trains already do it all better.

It's all either economic titans trying to own the space so they can invent dodgy new business models, or wrapping it for consumers as the same old self-indulgent car pap, almighty individual in his overpowered FreedomPod(tm) but now he can play Candy Crush instead of watching for pedestrians.

and honestly no matter how good you make self driving cars, they will always be inferior to trains, which China has plenty of! (although even they are still too carbrained, some of their highways are actual abominations