<\/p>\n
A Tesla Cybercab with a driver behind the wheel is seen in Austin on Monday, Feb. 23, 2026. Unlike prototypes that have been seen on streets around Austin since January these had no rearview mirrors. Tesla CEO Elon Musk has said the purpose-built robotaxi will begin production by April.<\/p>\n
Jay Janner\/Austin American-Statesman<\/p>\n
Most Texans have never ridden in a\u00a0robotaxi but they have strong feelings about their legality, questions about state regulation\u00a0\u2014\u00a0and nearly half think the technology powering Tesla Inc.\u2019s robotaxis should be illegal.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
A new poll by a group called Safe Autonomous Vehicles Everywhere in the United States, or Save-US, surveyed almost 1,100 registered voters across Austin, Dallas and Houston about the state of robotaxis<\/a>. Among the more than 350 surveyed in Austin in late May, 44% said the vehicles \u201caren\u2019t ready to be driven on most roads and can\u2019t perform close to humans.\u201d<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n A slightly smaller portion\u00a0\u2014 40%\u00a0\u2014 said robotaxis have capabilities that meet or exceed human drivers for many use cases. The rest either said autonomous vehicles will never be able to safely transport humans or they weren\u2019t sure.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cSome people are very excited about autonomous vehicles and some people are honestly terrified of them, and I can understand both sides of that,\u201d said Shua Sanchez, national campaign director of Save-US. \u201cI\u2019m not sure how this whole thing will shake out. It seems likely that as long as there aren\u2019t massive catastrophes that happen, we\u2019re going to hit a point where there are autonomous vehicles everywhere in the country, and they just become a normal part of life.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n A Tesla Cybercab drives past a man panhandling on the I-35 frontage road at Oltorf Street in Austin, Tuesday, April 14, 2026.<\/p>\n Jay Janner\/Austin American-Statesman<\/p>\n As that possibility looms, Austin residents expressed concern about Tesla\u2019s Full Self-Driving technology. Forty-four percent said they somewhat or strongly believed the tech should be illegal while 35% said it should be legal. Another 21% aren\u2019t sure.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n San Antonio Express News Logo<\/p>\n Make us a Preferred Source on Google to see more of us when you search.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Add Preferred Source<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n Waymo<\/a>, the industry leader that has more than 600 vehicles operating in Texas, inspires higher confidence with 34% of Austin respondents saying its\u00a0self-driving cars should be illegal and 52% saying they should be legal.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Sanchez, along with Save-US founders Sam Haass and Bob Somers (a former engineer at Zoox<\/a>), are leading the road safety organization that launched in the fall with the goal of establishing responsible\u00a0safety regulations for autonomous vehicles<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Sanchez said that\u2019s important because about 60 companies in the U.S. are working to build autonomous vehicles right now.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re really concerned that state legislatures are going to look at companies like\u00a0Waymo and say, \u2018Wow, look,\u00a0AVs are incredibly safe, let\u2019s just legalize them with no state oversight whatsoever.\u2019 And then next thing you know, there\u2019s going to be all of these other companies that don\u2019t have nearly as good of a safety track record that suddenly get authorized as well without any kind of oversight,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n A Waymo obotaxi navigates around a rollover crash at West 15th and San Antonio streets in Austin, Tuesday, May 26, 2026.<\/p>\n Jay Janner\/Austin American-Statesman<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n