After debunking myths about Bengaluru’s infamous traffic, Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic), MN Anucheth, shared his belief that self driving vehicles and Level 5 autonomous cars could navigate the city’s chaotic roads—but he questioned whether there’s a real need for such technology in Namma Bengaluru.
Bengaluru Traffic Commissioner said that while fully autonomous (Level 5) vehicles could theoretically navigate the city’s chaotic roads, their practicality and adoption remain uncertain.
“If a Level 5 vehicle is equipped with sufficient inputs like radar, LiDAR, and computer vision, it could learn both good and bad behaviours to navigate through our roads,” he noted. However, he questioned the necessity of such advanced vehicles in India’s context, adding, “Would you spend so much for a Level 5 vehicle when hiring a driver is easier and more cost-effective here?”
Given the safety concerns and the rise in road rage incidents in the city, the case for self-driving vehicles and robotaxis such as Tesla and Waymo becomes increasingly compelling.
As Bengaluru’s Metro and suburban rail networks expand, the city’s focus appears to be on improving public transportation. For now, the dream of fully autonomous vehicles navigating Namma Bengaluru’s roads remains more of a futuristic vision than an immediate reality.
Citing the USA and Canada, where the shortage of drivers for heavy goods vehicles, such as long trailers and trucks, has accelerated the push for Level 4 and Level 5 automation, in regions where there is no shortage of the same, investing in Level 5 autonomous vehicles might not be justifiable.
“I don’t think the adoption will be that much because one, it’s very cost prohibitive. Second, I think, it’s easier to hire a driver and have a level 3 which is a driver assistant, giving more importance to road safety rather than automation,” he said.
While emphasis lies on four-wheelers, Anucheth also believes that if two wheelers have better adoption of tech, accident deaths can significantly come down. “If you look at the vulnerable group in Bengaluru city, about 72% are two-wheelers,” he said, attributing 2-wheelers as the cause of maximum accidents.
Autonomous Vehicles on the Rise
Recently, at CES 2025, NVIDIA chief Jensen Huang said, “I predict that this [autonomous vehicles] will likely be the first multi-trillion dollar robotics industry.”
At the same event, NVIDIA released Cosmos, a platform built to accelerate the development of autonomous vehicles and robots. The platform consists of work foundation models (WFMs), video tokenisers, guardrails and other features that will help developers build models without the dependency of real-world data.
Tesla, NVIDIA are all heavily investing in autonomous vehicle production and abilities. Tesla’s fully autonomous robotaxi is being positioned as a safety vehicle, allowing one to travel without the risk of any form of accidents or mishaps.
Not just vehicular safety, but passenger safety is also becoming a rising concern. Recently, a woman passenger jumped out of a moving autorickshaw run by a when she sensed the driver was taking a deviated path. With robotaxis, safety can be easily met. Something Musk had positioned as the predominant goal for his vehicles.
Interestingly, Indian players are also working on fully autonomous vehicles, with some claiming level 5 autonomy. AI and robotics startup Swaayatt Robots is building level 5 autonomy and has raised $7 million at a valuation of $175 million. Similarly, Kochi-based Rosh AI has been testing their fully autonomous vehicles for more than a decade.
