Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, recently announced that the company’s Robotaxi service will eliminate safety monitors from vehicles by the end of 2025. This decision follows feedback from users on X who shared their initial experiences with the Robotaxi app. The app was made available to iOS users in selected U.S. cities earlier today.
One early user mentioned that they downloaded the app, joined the waitlist, and were matched with their first ride within two hours. However, the ride still had a safety driver present. Musk responded by stating that the safety driver is only there for the first few months for added precaution and that there should be no safety driver by the end of the year.
The Robotaxi iOS app quickly rose to the top spot on the App Store’s Travel app charts, allowing users to join a waitlist for future rides. Tesla has confirmed that access to the Robotaxi service will soon expand, with an Android version of the app in development.
In Austin, where Tesla initiated its first Robotaxi pilot in June, the company has been conducting rides without a driver in the front seat. Instead, a safety monitor occupies the passenger seat. However, for trips that involve traveling on Austin freeways, Tesla still places a monitor in the driver’s seat, similar to how rides are managed in the Bay Area. The Tesla Robotaxi account mentioned on X that this was a cautious initial step towards expanding to highways.
With Musk’s assurance to remove the safety monitor entirely by the end of the year, Tesla is demonstrating confidence in its technology as it gears up for a broader rollout of the Robotaxi service across the U.S.