People are apparently very stupid, and that is why Uber and Lyft drivers are using Tesla’s shoddy-at-best Full Self-Driving program to complete rides, creating – in essence – makeshift robotaxis. This all came to a head when a Tesla being used as an Uber with FSD engaged crashed into an SUV at an intersection in Las Vegas earlier this year, sending the other driver to the hospital.
This – of course – comes right before Tesla CEO Elon Musk is (in theory) supposed to unveil an actual Robotaxi that can be used for ride-hailing services on October 10. Whether that’ll actually happen or not is anyone’s guess, but Musk has long envisioned a Tesla-run autonomous taxi network of vehicles owned by individuals.
However, some folks don’t seem interested in waiting, so they’ve taken matters into their own hands. Reuters spoke with 11 ride-hail drivers who use Full Self-Driving to aid in their work. They say that the $99 per month software has some limitations, but they use it anyway because it helps reduce stress levels and allows them to work longer hours and make more money. Ah, capitalism.
You might be thinking, “Well, that’s not so bad. Cruise and Waymo have self-driving cars with human backups,” but it’s not so cut-and-dry with what these rideshare drivers are doing with their Teslas, as Reuters explains:
While test versions of self-driving cabs with human backup drivers from robotaxi operators such as Alphabet’s, opens new tab Waymo and General Motors’, opens new tab Cruise are heavily regulated, state and federal authorities say Tesla drivers alone are responsible for their vehicles, whether or not they use driver-assist software. Waymo and Cruise use test versions of software categorized as fully autonomous while Tesla FSD is categorized as a level requiring driver oversight.
Here’s a little bit more about that nasty robotaxi-ish crash in Vegas from April:
The other driver in the April 10 Las Vegas accident, who was taken to the hospital, was faulted for failing to yield the right of way, according to the police report. The Las Vegas Tesla driver, Justin Yoon, said on YouTube the Tesla software failed to slow his vehicle even after the SUV emerged from a blind spot created by another vehicle.
Yoon, who posts YouTube videos under the banner “Project Robotaxi,” was in the driver’s seat of his Tesla, hands off the wheel, when it entered the intersection in a suburban part of Las Vegas, according to footage from inside the car. The Tesla on FSD navigated the vehicle at 46 mph (74 kph) and did not initially register a sport-utility vehicle crossing the road in front of Yoon. At the last moment, Yoon took control and turned the car into a deflected hit, the footage shows.
“It’s not perfect, it’ll make mistakes, it will probably continue to make mistakes,” Yoon said in a post-crash video. Yoon and his passenger suffered minor injuries and the car was totaled, he said.
Amigo??? Mistakes??? I feel like we are underselling the fact that three people were injured (with one hospitalized) and the car was totaled. I need people to be fucking for real about this shit.
Anyway, Uber and Lyft aren’t going to be much help in quelling this new issue. Both companies told Reuters that it’s the driver’s responsibility to ensure everyone’s safety.
Uber, which said it was in touch with the driver and passenger in the Las Vegas accident, cited its community guidelines: “Drivers are expected to maintain an environment that makes riders feel safe; even if driving practices don’t violate the law.”
Uber also cited instructions by Tesla which alert drivers who use FSD to have their hands on the wheel and be ready to take over at any moment.
Lyft said: “Drivers agree that they will not engage in reckless behavior.”
Despite the risks, the drivers who spoke with Reuters are still using Full Self-Driving. However, they admit they’re being more careful and more selective of the situations where they engage it. Some have stopped using FSD in complex situations like airport pickups, parking lots and construction zones.
“I do use it, but I’m not completely comfortable with it,” said Sergio Avedian, a ride-hail driver in Los Angeles and a senior contributor on “The Rideshare Guy” YouTube channel, an online community of ride-hailing drivers with nearly 200,000 subscribers. Avedian avoids using FSD while carrying passengers. Based on his conversations with fellow drivers on the channel, however, he estimates that 30% to 40% of Tesla ride-hail drivers across the U.S. use FSD regularly.
[…]
Uber recently enabled its software to send passenger destination details to Tesla’s dashboard navigation system – a move that helps FSD users, wrote Omar Qazi, an X user with 515,000 followers who posts using the handle @WholeMarsBlog and often gets public replies from Musk on the platform.
“This will make it even easier to do Uber rides on FSD,” Qazi said in an X post.
My friends, we are in a brave new world. Well, maybe not brave, but stupid and reckless. That’s it. We’re in a stupid and reckless new world, so act accordingly.
I know if I got into a Tesla Uber and the driver wasn’t actually driving the car, I’d immediately get out. That’s just me, though.