Robotaxis are real now — so is the pushback

Robotaxis from Waymo, Zoox, Tesla, and others are now on real streets, and so is the pushback. As deployments grow, the fight over who sets the rules is intensifying, with NHTSA and cities in the middle.

Self-driving firms spent years on pilots and testing before commercial robotaxi fleets started scaling across US cities. That expansion has moved faster than the rulebook, leaving regulators to play catch-up with a new transit mode.

The rules set now will decide whether robotaxis become a normal transit choice or a regulated niche. It's also a live test of how far AI can be trusted with a safety-critical role in public spaces.