Autonomous vehicles are already safer than human drivers. So why are so many people still afraid to get in one?
Obi CEO, Ashwini Anburajan explored this tension during her talk at Ignite in San Francisco earlier this year.
Every major innovation comes with a mix of curiosity, skepticism, and fear. AVs are no different. And as the industry pushes toward what could become a $1T market, that emotional friction can’t be ignored.
At Obi, we’re seeing this evolve in real time. In our recent report, “The Cost of Autonomy,” 63% of rideshare users in states where robotaxis operate say they’re comfortable riding in one — up from just 35% a year ago.
That’s a massive jump. And yet, a single story about an AV running a red light or stalling in traffic still hits that core fear.
That gap between data and perception is where the real work is. Thank you to Brady Forrest and the Ignite team for giving Obi the opportunity to explore this exciting theme.
New York City is the most competitive rideshare market in the world — and the balance of power may be shifting. According to new data from the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC), Lyft’s market share jumped to 30.6% in May 2026 — up from 26.75% in April and 27.66% in March. That’s […]
Welome to Part 2 of our ongoing World Cup 2026 rideshare tracker. Part 1 covered Los Angeles — SoFi Stadium, June 12 (the USA’s opener) and New York / New Jersey — MetLife Stadium, June 13 (Brazil vs. Morocco), where Uber hit $149 and fans leaving after midnight faced some of the highest rideshare prices we’ve […]
The 2026 FIFA World Cup has turned a dozen North American cities into match-day pressure cookers — and few things feel the squeeze faster than getting a ride to and from the stadium. We examined Obi’s unique rideshare data around two of the tournament’s marquee opening fixtures to see exactly what happened to fares and […]
