"When Tesla launched its initial Robotaxi program in Austin, the company made headlines for operating vehicles without a human in the driver's seat. Even with this setup, however, Tesla still had safety monitors in the passenger seat of the Robotaxis. The safety monitors, which do not interact with passengers, have been observed to report issues and other behaviors from the autonomous vehicles in real time."
"Safety monitors on the driver's seat were also employed in the service's Bay Area rollout, though numerous members of the EV community speculated that this was likely done to meet regulations in California. However, with the expansion of the Austin geofence, riders in Tesla's Robotaxis observed that the safety monitors in the city have been moved to the driver's seat as well."
"Safety monitors are only in the driver's seat for trips that involve highway driving, as a self-imposed cautious first step toward expanding to highways- Tesla Robotaxi (@robotaxi) September 4, 2025"
Tesla is deploying an autonomous Robotaxi ride-hailing service in Austin and the Bay Area, with more U.S. cities expected later this year. Initial Austin operations ran vehicles without a human in the driver's seat while keeping safety monitors in the passenger seat. The safety monitors do not interact with passengers and report vehicle issues and behaviors in real time. Driver's-seat safety monitors appeared in the Bay Area rollout, prompting speculation that the placement addressed California regulatory requirements. Expansion of the Austin geofence coincided with riders observing monitors moved to the driver's seat for certain trips. Tesla stated monitors sit in the driver's seat only for trips that involve highway driving as a self-imposed cautious first step.
Read at TESLARATI
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]