The robotaxi service is currently not open to the general public and is also not fully autonomous, as Elon Musk once promised. The vehicles will have "safety monitors," that is, Tesla employees in the passenger seat. The latter can respond to dangerous situations by activating a switch (kill switch). Other operators of autonomous vehicles also have "safety monitors" in the driver or passenger seat, typically only during the testing phase. Tesla is unique in that it also uses controllers even for commercial operations.
Furthermore, Tesla occasionally uses escort vehicles and remote drivers as an additional level of safety. At the same time, rides with robotaxis are limited to a part of the city that the company has mapped out.
According to the Tesla website, the service is only available by invitation at the time of launch. Such invitations were given to influential individuals who support Tesla, raising the question of how unbiased the initial critical reactions will be. Tesla has not disclosed when the service will be available to the general public.
During the limited testing phase, 10-20 vehicles of model Y will be deployed with the branding "robotaxi." The fully autonomous cybercab, which was first introduced last year, will not be available until at least 2026. The service operates in a small, relatively safe neighborhood of Austin from 6 a.m. to midnight and avoids bad weather, highways, airports, and complex intersections.
Source: TheVerge
