India says NO to self-driving cars

While the tech companies are competing against each other to perfect self-driving technology with trials across the world, looks like one of the world's fastest growing markets- India isn't interested in the technology at all. Driverless cars will not be allowed in India as it comes at the cost of jobs, said minister for road transport and highways Nitin Gadkari.

“No driverless cars will be allowed in India. The government is not going to promote any technology or policy that will make people jobless,” he said. He added that instead, the government will focus on training drivers as adequate driving skills can provide employment to about 50 lakh people.

"We will not allow driverless cars in India. India suffers a huge shortage of 22 lakh drivers. Cab aggregators take advantage of these. We are not going to promote any technology or policy that will render people jobless," Gadkari said.

Apparently, the ministry also plans to introduce a cab aggregator platform where commuters across a city would be able to choose any mode of transportation—like an electric four-wheeler and two-wheeler taxis—from a range of service providers. The platform is expected to bring in more competition and help commuters access cheap public transportation. The government is also thinking about introducing and making GPS and satellite tracking mandatory in all public and private vehicles.

While India's haphazard roads and chaotic traffic already make it a not so preferred destination to try out self-driving cars, the little hopes that anyone ever had have also been now put to rest by the union minister himself.

The minister also revealed plans to transform public transport in the country and replace 180,000 buses across states. The project would be complemented by building state-of- the-art bus ports on the line of Indian airports and a special National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) wing with an equity of Rs 500 crore would be set up to undertake this.