Uber has claimed that its “optimistic leadership” would help ease the transition for city authorities as they deal with the introduction of self-driving cars.

Speaking at a conference in San Francisco on Wednesday, Kalanick said self-driving cars could reduce the 30,000 annual deaths on US roads by using centrally controlled, algorithmic traffic management systems to prevent accidents and reduce congestion at peak times. But he also intimated that self-driving cars would be part of Uber’s plans to expand its business in the transport industry.

“We don’t want to be like the taxi guys who came before us – we embrace the future,” Kalanick said. “There’s an insane amount of good that comes out of this [technology], which is why so many companies are working on this.

“The best thing is to be in a place with optimistic leadership when interesting things happen with driverless cars so that we can help with that transition. In 10 to 15 years there will need to be leadership in cities and with the companies that make this technology to make that transition, and that’s an interesting challenge and opportunity.”

Kalanick did not explain how its network of drivers, which was estimated to number around 160,000 by December 2014, would be employed in a network of self-driving cars. “What are the new ways of making a living that now exist as the world goes robotic?” said Kalanick, who did not answer his own question.

Self-driving cars, also known as autonomous vehicles, are being developed by several companies including Tesla, Apple and Google. Google has a stake in Uber of just under 7%. Uber opened its own self-driving car lab in Pittsburgh in early 2015, partnering with engineer from Carnegie Mellon University.

Kalanick also said that his ambition is to make “every car in San Francisco an Uber” which, he claimed, would reduce car ownership and mean less traffic congestion. “That’s giving an hour of time back to every citizen every day. Give that hour to your family, to your community. Time is a luxury. Fewer cars, less congestion, more parking, less pollution and creating thousands of jobs.”

Uber Pool, the service’s ride-sharing service, is not as profitable as the standard Uber service, he said, but made the price much cheaper for users. Uber is also experimenting with Uber Eat, which will deliver local takeaway food, and even an Uber helicopter service. But the core service of cab rides is based on a marketplace idea, he said, matching people selling rides with people who want to buy them.

“Before Uber it was hard to get around this city because there just weren’t enough taxis,” he said. “We started because the taxi system was broken and not working for drivers or passengers.”

Kalanick claimed San Francisco’s cab drivers have to rent their cars for $140 per day and make $40,000 per year, but said the system benefitted the owners of the licence because any down time for the driver meant they lost money.

Regulators in Europe, however, and not agreed with Uber’s analysis of the regulated taxi market and claim the company, which is currently valued at $50bn, has been flouting regulation designed to protect consumers since it launched in the EU in 2014.