Uber And Lyft May Just Be Here For A Brief Ride

The Uber Technologies Inc. ride-hailing service app sits on a smartphone screen in the rear of an Uber Technologies Tesla Motors Inc. Model S electric automobile, in Madrid, Spain, on Friday, Jan. 13, 2017. Will we still need Uber when we no longer need its drivers? Uber and Lyft may be taking the world by storm today, but some experts believe their run will be shortly ended by the technology they are rushing to embrace: self-driving cars. "Several car companies have said that they think Uber and Lyft are only here for a short period of time, because when they move to autonomous they don't think they need an intermediary between them and the customer," said Randy Rowe of Green Courte Partners, an expert in urban real estate who has been studying the potential impact of self-driving vehicles on real estate investment. Rowe believes autonomous cars will wipe out billboard advertising and challenge the self-storage industry, transform retail, office space, and street design.