Imagine a future where Chicagoans get around in free, driverless cars

Inside smelled like pine air freshener. She looked around briefly. It was clean, the seats next to her were gray and soft. The driver and passenger seats were still there, as was the steering wheel. This was just a regular SUV turned into a self-driving car. A kind of evolution. Interesting. Her mother knocked on the window and Zelu was shocked when the window opened. She and her mother looked at each other for a moment and then they both laughed. “Wow,” her mother said with a surprised look on her face. “I know,” Zelu agreed.

“You going to be okay?”

“I’ll just go to the lake,” Zelu said. “I’ll be fine.”

“Call me if you need me. I can come pick you up.”

“Please prepare for your journey,” an automated voice announced. Her mother jumped back as if the SUV suddenly hit her.

“Relax, Mom,” Zelu said. “His sensors know you’re there. It won’t move until you’re a safe distance away.”

“I’ll believe it when I see it,” her mother said.

“You’re in.”

Her mother waved as the vehicle slowly drove off. Zelu waved back.

And then she was all alone and her life was in the hands of the SUV.

“This is so strange,” she muttered, watching the steering wheel move on its own. It was the first time she was alone in a moving vehicle. No one was there, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was there; something was in control. It was like being driven by a ghost. “Or should I say NoBody,” she said to herself, laughing.

As the vehicle stopped and turned onto the main road, her joy disappeared.

She believed in the science behind self-driving vehicles. The technology had been around for years, and she had been working hard on this new taxi service over the last few months. The idea of ​​being able to order one like an Uber with her cell phone and not have to deal with someone who looked at her strangely, asked awkward questions, might be a serial killer, and so on was a wonderful thought. More importantly, it would free her from her family. Whenever she asked one of them for a ride, they responded with this strange mix of pity, control, and duty. She didn’t think they even knew they had done that. It always left her feeling pathetic and childlike, even when she was being driven by one of her younger siblings. Oh, to be free of this feeling.

Still, at that moment she wanted to scream in panic. She dug her nails into the arms of her chair. Despite all the research and reassurances from the customer service reps she had spoken to, this was very different now that it was happening in real time. What if there was a mistake and a miscalculation? What if another driver did something crazy that the SUV couldn’t understand or adapt to? What if there was a solar flare and the whole car died?

“Shit!” She screamed as the SUV turned. “I’m going to die!”

Then they were on their way. Zelu cheered and laughed with relief, still sweating. The vehicle drove exactly at the speed limit so that everyone else could pass her. Several people did a double take, some pointing and two holding up phones to record videos. Zelu was too stressed to even care. They were approaching the highway.