Tesla’s robotaxis officially launched in Austin, Texas, on June 22. This marks a cautious initial step for the company, as a human “Tesla Safety Monitor” is present with the first passengers. Currently, there are only ten vehicles available, and rides are restricted to select Tesla users. Early riders and influencers have been posting their experiences on social media, predominantly on X, as expected.
Most of these initial riders seem to be pro-Tesla users, often featuring a mention of the company in their social media bios or donning a Tesla cap in their profile pictures (or both). Therefore, it’s important to view their feedback through that lens. Nonetheless, an autonomous car ride is still an autonomous car ride. Numerous livestreams depict the safety monitor holding onto a handle on the right side of the passenger seat, potentially with emergency controls, although this has not been verified yet. Many passengers tried to engage in conversation with their safety monitors, but, well, the results were somewhat limited.
One user, known as Bearded Tesla Guy, referred to the app as “basically Uber.” Others experienced difficulties in hailing a Tesla from the limited selection of rides, observing numerous driverless Waymos glide past them while they waited. Austin has become the hub for autonomous ride testing: Waymo is expanding its service in collaboration with Uber, and Amazon’s Zoox is also trialing its technology in the region.
After confirming your identity with the human safety monitor, you can start your journey by tapping the “start ride” button. Tesla has integrated the service with users’ existing profiles, enabling you to import your current music playlists, which is a thoughtful feature. Additionally, you can modify your temperature settings, seat position, and more through the companion app. Unlike a standard Tesla, the robotaxi is equipped with buttons that allow you to request the car to pull over or stop in its lane. There’s also an option to contact support if you face any issues during your automated ride, although it’s reasonable to expect that a human safety monitor would provide faster help.
As the service started, Tesla unveiled a new page dedicated to robotaxis, outlining all the guidelines and regulations for its Robotaxis. The company has also provided comprehensive FAQs for utilizing the service along with a sign-up form for updates. Early access riders are being charged a flat fee of $4.20 for their trips.
The parameters are strict, compounded by a limited number of vehicles. Rides must occur within a geofenced area that does not include airports and operate between 6AM and midnight. At this stage, we should approach Musk’s assertions with skepticism, yet the Tesla CEO claims that the company aims to expand its taxi fleet to a thousand driverless vehicles on the road “within a few months.” Tesla has also indicated that it will run its robotaxi network using an “unsupervised” version of its self-driving technology.
