Tesla has taken another step forward in its robotaxi program in Austin, Texas, introducing two key changes to its service that signal growing confidence in the self-driving technology.
For the first time, Tesla’s autonomous fleet is now navigating highways, and the company has also repositioned safety operators from the passenger seat to the driver’s seat.
Robotaxis Enter the Highway
Until now, Tesla’s robotaxi operations in Austin had been limited to city streets, where vehicles could be more closely monitored at lower speeds. The introduction of highway driving represents a significant expansion of the service’s scope. Allowing robotaxis to merge onto highways, maintain lane discipline at higher speeds, and navigate interchanges puts Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) software to a more rigorous test.
Highway driving requires a different set of decision-making capabilities compared to urban driving. While city routes challenge a system with pedestrians, cyclists, and complex intersections, highways demand precision in merging, speed management, and anticipating the behaviour of other fast-moving vehicles.
Safety Operator Moves to the Driver Seat
Alongside the highway rollout, Tesla has adjusted the position of its human safety operator. Previously, the operator rode in the passenger seat, reinforcing Tesla’s message that the robotaxis were truly driving themselves. However, with the expansion into higher-speed highway travel, the operator has now been moved back behind the wheel in the driver’s seat.
Tesla has not commented on the change, however it makes sense given the robotaxis will now be travelling at much higher speeds, and the operator in the driver’s seat ensures faster intervention if the system encounters a situation it cannot resolve independently.
Sept 1 in Austin and our Robotaxi arrived with Tesla safety driver in the driver seat, similar to the Bay area (no logo on the car). Here’s that first moment when I realized, our autonomous car was heading onto the freeway. pic.twitter.com/1QfyN2Ubzf
— Gail (@gailalfaratx) September 2, 2025
These changes mark a crucial phase in Tesla’s rollout of its robotaxi service, which started in Texas on June 22. Since then the company has expanded the service area three times to encompass more parts of the city, as well as introduced several changes to improve the service.
The only other location where Tesla is currently testing is in the Bay Area in California, however in that area the safety operators are always in the driver seat, regardless of whether the vehicles are travelling on city streets or highways. This is due to different regulations in California compared to Texas.
