Re: I'm not sure I see how they get to profitability
"Internet docs show NY Taxis average 3.3 years in age and 70K miles per year - it seems unlikely robocars will have longer service lifetimes."
New York is also INFAMOUS for its rationing of the taxi medallions, to the point they're becoming Wall Street-class investments in and of themselves. Now, granted, New York (especially Manhattan) is in a dilemma: over 10 million residents, workers, etc. moving to and fro everyday, often in bad weather, and the trains don't cover the last mile. They have to play a very delicate balance between providing enough last-mile service for busy New Yorkers and not choking to death on their own traffic.