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Boris say now looking at driverless trains.

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Comments

  • I imagine Boris is being more cunning that the unions realise. So far as i understand, 3 lines could already be driverless - in fact, all the drivers currently do is open the doors. If he were to let these go driverless now there is a risk the remaining drivers will strike about their colleagues losing their job. So instead I imagine they will wait until the entire TFL network is capable of going driverless and then pretty much go driverless across the whole network.

    Meanwhile giving the unions and driver enough rope with which to hang themselves. A small price to pay with triple time wages if in 5 to 10 years time there are no drivers.
  • Heyman_2
    Heyman_2 Posts: 1,819 Forumite
    Unfortunately that will probably also be the time that Bob Crow becomes the King Ludd of our generation -

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luddite
  • RJP33
    RJP33 Posts: 339 Forumite
    Eventually all unionised industries prices themselves out of the market. This is just another example where the costs of researching and installing new technologies is more than covered by the improved efficiencies and staff reductions.

    It's the same reason we have robots in car factories, computerised printing machines in newspapers and outsourcing in government departments.

    Absolutely right, the greed goes too far and then it's the fall. Driverless trains exist all over the world already.

    Full support from me Boris.
  • System
    System Posts: 178,371 Community Admin
    10,000 Posts Photogenic Name Dropper
    There's always time for this classic:

    Strong language warning!

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UymKurTBdhw
    This is a system account and does not represent a real person. To contact the Forum Team email forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com
  • kabayiri wrote: »
    You could argue that the move towards driverless trains in the long run has nothing to do with strike action. Perhaps it's an inevitability.

    Ironically, as this process of automation continues, it might just strengthen union resolve to get what they can for the drivers while they can.

    It was nothing at all to do with strike action when I was working on it. It was everything to do with trying to improve the efficiency of the rolling stock. At the time the talk was the trains would still need a guard or human interface if they were on the underground to help people in an emergency.
    "There's no such thing as Macra. Macra do not exist."
    "I could play all day in my Green Cathedral".
    "The Centuries that divide me shall be undone."
    "A dream? Really, Doctor. You'll be consulting the entrails of a sheep next. "
  • John_Pierpoint
    John_Pierpoint Posts: 8,401 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts
    edited 24 December 2011 at 6:35AM
    I imagine Boris is being more cunning that the unions realise. So far as i understand, 3 lines could already be driverless - in fact, all the drivers currently do is open the doors. If he were to let these go driverless now there is a risk the remaining drivers will strike about their colleagues losing their job. So instead I imagine they will wait until the entire TFL network is capable of going driverless and then pretty much go driverless across the whole network.

    Any analogy with the manual "hot metal" printers being replaced by electronics
    More "battle" of Wapping?

    The great thing about electronics is that it can be built to "fail safe" - no more "jokes" about my grandfather died peacefully in his sleep.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moorgate_tube_crash
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