How about a option or custom games is to have an ai who can drive a certain vehicle that player can’t get into or an ai who can only ride and shoot while you drive in the vehicle.
(custom games only)
Ever got left with the mongoose and had no gunner or a warthog ?
If you want to shoot they you pree the action button to use machine gun and the ai goes away
more like a movable auto turret that you can drive around (if on the same team)