Tesla has begun offering robotaxi rides in Austin, Texas, without a human safety driver inside the vehicle, marking a new phase in the company’s autonomous driving efforts.
Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk announced the development on Thursday in a post on X, saying Tesla had started robotaxi drives in Austin with no safety monitor in the car. He congratulated the company’s artificial intelligence team and used the announcement to recruit engineers interested in working on what he described as real world AI development.
The automaker first launched its robotaxi service in Austin last June as a limited pilot, with a safety operator seated in the front passenger seat. Those early rides were offered to influencers and a select group of customers. In December, Tesla began testing the service without a safety driver in the front seat, a role traditionally included as a precaution in case human intervention was required.
Not all robotaxis operating in Austin will be fully driverless at this stage. Tesla’s head of AI, Ashok Elluswamy, said the company is starting with a small number of unsupervised vehicles operating alongside a broader fleet that still includes safety monitors. He added that the proportion of fully driverless vehicles will increase gradually over time.
Tesla has begun charging passengers for the robotaxi rides, according to a user who shared their experience on X. Reports also indicate that a chase car is following the driverless vehicles during operations.
Some of Tesla’s competitors in autonomous driving, including Zoox and Waymo, did not immediately charge passengers when they first deployed fully driverless ride services.