Tesla’s Robotaxis Are Here: First Reactions From the Limited Test

Tesla’s self-driving taxi service has been teased since 2019, and this weekend was officially the first time the company’s robotaxi vehicles allowed paying passengers inside. On Sunday, a select few influencers in Austin, Texas, were able to try out the rides for themselves.

This marks the first time paying passengers have been inside the vehicles, but it’s currently a limited service that sees restrictions that won’t be there in the final product. There are between 10 to 20 vehicles in Austin, which are all Model Y cars with “Robotaxi” emblazoned on the side.

Each vehicle is only able to travel within certain boundaries designed to avoid Austin’s airports and particularly complex intersections around the city. The other big restriction is passengers aren’t alone in the vehicles.

Tesla is including what it calls “safety monitors,” which means there’s an employee in the front passenger seat to monitor the car. The employee only interacts with the customer at the start of the ride to ensure they’re the right person, and then they remain silent throughout the trip, unless there’s an emergency in which they can use the vehicle’s kill switch.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk previously said rides from its robotaxis would be unsupervised. This isn’t a huge surprise that Tesla chose to include monitors as the brand’s rival Waymo did similar when it first launched, and Musk’s brand likely needs more testing time before removing people altogether.

With safety monitors involved, it means that everyone in the testing phase has been sat in the rear of the car, and that has limited the amount of passengers onboard. The influencers involved have shared shots of the app, which looks like the map on rival ride hailing services, including recommendations for what to do nearby. For example, one person found you could put in the word “food” and it would suggest local restaurants.

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All influencers who have experienced the rides so far have done so through their Tesla accounts meaning their personal media preferences are also automatically available in the car. For example, their Spotify profiles were connected directly allowing them to play music of their choice.

All journeys in the testing phase cost $4.20, which is likely one of Musk’s marijuana references that are often made in his products. It’s likely the price will be higher when Tesla launches in full.

The brand has also included an easter egg when your try to “tip” the self-driving cars. After a ride finishes, the app asks for a review with a choice of five lightning bolts, and there’s a place to leave feedback. If you then press on the “Leave a tip” button you’ll be greeted with a a hedgehog in a leather jacket with sunglasses on with the text “Just kidding.”

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There’s a central screen in the back of the car that you need to press to start a trip when you’ve entered the vehicle. This can also be done from within the app, too. From the central screen, you can also choose options like “pull over,” “stop in lane,” and a section called “support.”

One streamer called Chuck Cook accessed the support button and found it took around two minutes to connect to a real life person.

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It’s unclear when the general public will be able to use Tesla’s service, or where the company will go next for its rollout. The brand put up a website on Sunday for you to sign up for updates on your city.

Tesla previously tested its self-driving cars in San Francisco, so that may give us a hint of where the brand will aim for next.

In Texas, the state has now required that from September 1 all self-driving cars have to have a dedicated permit. Right now the safety monitors in the cars ensure Tesla won’t be impacted by this law when it comes into effect, but it may cause all self-driving taxi companies some headaches in the coming months.

About James Peckham

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I’ve written tech news for over a decade, and as a Reporter at PCMag, I cover the latest developments across the gadgets and services you use every day. Previously, I worked for Android Police, TechRadar, and more.

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