> I am skeptical of unmanned taxis for reasons having nothing to do with autonomous driving. What do you do if a passenger gets sick, passes out, starts acting violently, has a heart attack, all things regular taxis encounter.

These are risks anywhere. I'm not monitored when I ride an elevator, how is an automated taxi any different?

> pleasant conversation if desired.

This is a good point, I'm sure many people will prefer human-operated taxis for the social aspect and possibly for local recommendations.