After many, many promises from Tesla CEO Elon Musk of self-driving Teslas “this year,” it looks like 2026 is finally the ticket. Tesla on Thursday launched Robotaxi rides in Austin without a human safety monitor inside the car.
In an X post, Musk confirmed that the automaker’s taxi service is now operating without anybody in the car apart from passengers. When the operation launched last June in Austin, the company had monitors sitting up front in the passenger’s seat. Tesla’s ride-hailing service in the California Bay Area has safety drivers behind the wheel.
It’s a huge milestone for Tesla, which has had its sights set on offering self-driving capability to the public for around a decade.
The rollout of monitor-free Model Ys will be slow at first, said Ashok Elluswamy, who leads Tesla’s autonomous vehicle program.
“Starting with a few unsupervised vehicles mixed in with the broader robotaxi fleet with safety monitors, and the ratio will increase over time,” he said in a post on X. His post also confirms that the rides are available to the public.
This story is developing. Check back for updates.
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