On Sat, Jul 9, 2016 at 8:15 PM, Jim Vassilakos <xxxxxx@gmail.com> wrote:
A pair of questions for you all (or anyone who cares to answer): (1) Are some of the gravcars, such as taxis, self-driving in your Traveller universe.

Yes. On very high-pop worlds IMTU, it's actually illegal to manually operate a vehicle. Even incoming/outgoing starships must turn control over to the tower once they are below low orbit (although a human controller is always actively monitoring in *that* control loop).
 
(2) What about starships?

IMTU most ship's computers are capable of flying a starship from point A to point B while in real space with only the barest minimum colloquial instruction: "Take us to Alderan and don't spare the horses." will generally get you to said destination at the ship's best accelleration. However, a ship's computer will fly only in a safe manner, while strictly obeying all flight restrictions. If the prospectively destination can't be reached in such a fashion - e.g. risky manuevers in close quarters will be required - then the computer will refuse the order and a human pilot will have to take over. However, even where a totally automated trip is possible, most regulatory authorities still require a conscious, appropriately-skilled sophont in the control loop (thus the minimum skill requirements). Also (IMTU) all computers must be shut down completely for entry into, travel through and exit out of jump space. Something about jump causes awake and aware computers to go totally and completely bats**t.

--
Richard Aiken

"Never insult anyone by accident."  Robert A. Heinlein
"I studied the Koran a great deal. I came away from that study with the conviction there have been few religions in the world as deadly to men as Muhammed." Alexis de Tocqueville (1843)
"We know a little about a lot of things; just enough to make us dangerous." Dean Winchester
"It has been my experience that a gun doesn't care who pulls its trigger." Newton Knight (as portrayed by Matthew McConaughey), to a scoffing Confederate tax collector facing the weapons held by Knight's young children and wife.