a lot of people don't actually like to drive all the time. people been doing all types of non-sense behind the wheel instead of 1/2 & eyes front. people have been seen eating, reading, playing instruments, watching videos and even having sex while driving.
thats the real reason ride-sharing took off, it was fast and cheap and felt more personal without the hassle of having to look for parking or paying attention to the road.
self-driving cars are just an evolution of helping make possible what people want.
i'm pretty sure it wasn't too uncommon in some places at the time when horses and buggys were the primary mode of transportation, riders would fall asleep if they knew the horse was familiar with where they needed to go which is usually home.