After receiving criticism for its slow rollout of self-driving cars, to the point of being called "vaporware," Tesla has begun offering robotaxi rides without an on-car safety monitor in Austin, Texas, Electrek reported. The question now is what that means for safety, oversight, and everyday riding.
What's happening?
According to the Electrek report, Tesla has now started operating a small number of robotaxi cars in Austin without a safety monitor seated inside the car. CEO Elon Musk announced the change on the social platform X, and Tesla Vice President of Self-Driving Ashok Elluswamy said the rollout would begin with a small fleet (fewer than 20, to be precise) while the rest of the robotaxis still include safety monitors.
The report also noted that video footage later showed Tesla vehicles trailing the robotaxis, indicating continued human oversight from separate cars.
"Austin's a 'go' but fleet size will be low. Think 10 to 20 cars. Public roads. Invite only. Plenty of tele ops to ensure safety levels ("we can't screw up"). Still waiting for a date," Musk said in a meeting, per another Electrek report.
Why is safety a concern?
The concern will be whether safety can remain the top priority. Tesla's robotaxi fleet has been involved in eight crashes since June 2025, even with the safety monitors inside. Plus, based on Tesla's own mileage disclosures, Electrek calculated that cars from the fleet crash every 60,000 miles. That's compared to about once every 500,000 miles for the average human driver.
It's also concerning that Tesla has a history of heavily reacting to crash reports filed with federal regulators, which limits public insight into what went wrong. These factors raise concerns about whether this tech, which is so reliant on responsible oversight, is ready for use without direct human supervision.
What's being done to ensure safe self-driving?
Tesla says it is doing things gradually. Elluswamy noted the ratio of unsupervised vehicles will increase over time as the company gathers more data. Tesla has also pointed to its general safety systems as evidence of progress. For example, a recent European safety test showed Tesla's driver-assistance technology performing well in certain controlled scenarios.
Other companies are taking things a bit slower and are operating with more transparency. Waymo, for example, has logged more than 125 million fully driverless miles across several U.S. cities and publishes detailed incident data. As a point of comparison, Waymo removed safety drivers only after years of supervised testing.
Although Tesla (and Musk) have faced plenty of criticism, that criticism has pushed the company to show progress, benefiting people and the planet in the long run. For riders, the promise of cheaper, electric transportation is appealing, but concerns about readiness are valid.
For drivers interested not only in supporting the EV industry but also saving money, upgrading to an EV or an e-bike can help shift the status quo and direct funds and attention toward clean travel.
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