Tesla has begun conducting unsupervised robotaxi trips in Austin, Texas, as showcased in a video shared on X, with Elon Musk acknowledging and congratulating Tesla’s AI team for reaching this important milestone. This development indicates progress in Tesla’s autonomous driving efforts, yet it remains uncertain how widely available these unsupervised robotaxi rides will be for the public in the near term.
Previously, Tesla’s robotaxi programs in Austin and San Francisco have involved safety monitors capable of remotely halting the vehicle if necessary, a precaution that contrasts with Waymo’s current commercial fleet, which operates without such human oversight. In Austin, the safety monitor occupies the passenger seat, while in San Francisco they sit in the driver’s seat. Both Tesla services are still restricted by customer waitlists and have not been fully launched to the general public.
Musk has repeatedly emphasized that the presence of these human safety monitors is driven by caution rather than a technological shortcoming, predicting their removal by the end of 2025. However, Tesla appears to be advancing this timeline slightly, with Ashok Elluswamy, Tesla’s VP for autonomy, revealing that the company plans to integrate a limited number of unsupervised vehicles alongside the fleet still monitored by safety drivers, gradually increasing the ratio over time.
Despite this progress, the overall situation remains uncertain. Tesla currently uses a waitlist system for its robotaxis and reportedly operates only a few dozen vehicles in Texas. Moreover, Tesla’s robotaxi fleet has experienced multiple crashes—approximately eight over five months—even with safety monitors onboard. While fans express enthusiasm, skeptics view these developments as overstated claims rather than proven capabilities.
This approach has parallels with Waymo’s careful, phased rollout strategy that began with a small number of monitored and waitlisted vehicles before expanding. However, the comparison highlights a significant distinction: Waymo’s fully driverless cars have logged over 100 million autonomous miles, whereas Tesla’s customers have accumulated 7.4 billion miles with a system requiring full driver supervision, which is not comparable to full autonomy.
Meanwhile, Waymo continues to extend its lead, reporting more than 14 million paid rides in 2025 and planning to launch in 20 new cities next year. Musk, however, maintains that Tesla’s extensive customer fleet will soon eclipse Waymo’s advantage through full autonomy, though this overlooks the fact that many Teslas currently on the road lack the hardware necessary to support fully autonomous driving capabilities.