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Next generation may not need driver’s licence, says Uber President
Andrew Macdonald described a future dominated by autonomous vehicles operating alongside human drivers and couriers in what he calls a hybrid mobility network
- PUBLISHED: Sat 24 Jan 2026, 9:39 PM UPDATED: Sun 25 Jan 2026, 5:52 PM
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Uber President and chief operating officer Andrew Macdonald has suggested that younger generations may not see the need for a driver’s licence, as attitudes toward car ownership shift and autonomous vehicles take centre stage.
Speaking in an interview with CNN, Macdonald highlighted that “most 16-year-olds at this point are not that interested in a driver’s licence,” pointing to a broader trend of delayed or reduced car ownership among young people. “People will continue to move away from individual car ownership,” he said.
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Macdonald described a future dominated by autonomous vehicles operating alongside human drivers and couriers in what he calls a hybrid mobility network. "In five years, we're going to be deep in that transition, particularly in Western markets, particularly in places where the cost of labor is high," he said, noting that these will make autonomous vehicles economically viable.
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When asked by CNN host Fareed Zakaria about the trend of Americans owning cars later in life, Macdonald confirmed that fewer young people are getting licences at 16. "If you look at the percentage of 16-year-olds, and this goes back probably a decade or so now, that are getting their driver's licence when they turn 16, that is steadily trending downwards."
Check out the full interview below:
He described the shift as a “transition over multiple decades,” signalling a long-term transformation in how people approach personal transportation.
"The future mobility will mostly be autonomous vehicles. It won't be single passenger cars the way we think of transportation today," he said.
