Tesla is going all in on its “Robotaxi” service — and putting factory workers and sales staff in drivers’ seats to make it happen.
The electric-car maker has started recruiting workers off factory lines to operate its ride-hailing fleet. Tesla is offering production associates and material handlers extra hours and pay to take on the role of AI operator, according to posters that appeared at its California factories earlier this month.
The AI operators sit in the driver’s seat, actively monitoring the vehicle while Tesla’s Full Self-Driving software is engaged, and taking over when needed. Tesla plans to eventually release the software as a fully autonomous service.
The extra sets of hands will help the company expand ride-hailing availability in the Bay Area, the posters said.
The posters, which also appeared in several engineering facilities, noted that staffers could earn $500 if they refer a friend for the AI operator role.
Some sales staffers in Nevada and Arizona moved over to similar operator roles in Las Vegas and Phoenix last month, according to a review of LinkedIn profiles.
Adding more operators could help Tesla speed up service. After Tesla rolled out its Robotaxi app to the public in September, wait times spiked, with some passengers reporting on social media wait times as long as 40 minutes and a lack of available vehicles.
Business Insider’s Alistair Barr said he’s recently seen wait times around 10 minutes in the Bay Area, and during peak commuting times, the app at times says it cannot provide a ride due to “high service demand.”
A spokesperson for Tesla did not respond to a request for comment.
Tesla completed the self-certification process for service in Nevada and Arizona last month. It has yet to apply for a license with the Nevada Transportation Authority to launch a commercial service, but it has a permit from the Arizona Department of Transportation that allows it to operate commercially in the state, spokespeople from the agencies told Business Insider.
The company has yet to begin offering paid rides in either state.
Meanwhile, the company launched its Bay Area ride-hailing service in August. It’s not registered as an autonomous vehicle service in California; it operates its service with a driver because the state has stricter regulations around autonomous vehicles than most other states, many of which operate around an honor system where the company self-certifies its vehicles.
Tesla has a permit from the California Public Utilities Commission that allows it to provide transportation services to employees and some members of the public as a regular car service with a driver. The agency has said Tesla is not authorized to transport members of the public in an autonomous vehicle.
Tesla currently has 1,655 vehicles and 798 drivers registered for its ride-hailing service in California, according to a spokesperson for the CPUC. Tesla is required to update the agency incrementally as it adds new vehicles to the fleet, but not drivers, the spokesperson said. (The registration number reflects vehicles approved for use; it doesn’t necessarily indicate how many are operating at any given time.)
Last December, Tesla registered more than 220 test drivers and 100 vehicles for a permit with the California Department of Motor Vehicles that would allow it to test its autonomous software with a test driver.
A spokesperson for the DMV said Tesla has yet to apply for a driverless testing permit, which would be required before the company can offer AV rides to the public.
The company also operates a ride-hailing service in Austin, where it launched with a safety operator in the passenger seat.
Musk said during an xAI event earlier this month that Tesla’s Austin service will be driverless by the end of the year.
“I think it’s pretty much a solved problem, we’re going through validation right now,” he said, according to a recording posted on social media.
A spokesperson for the Austin Transportation Department told Business Insider that the company has yet to inform the city of the date it plans to roll out the driverless feature to its commercial service. Tesla is not legally required to inform the city, but it has typically alerted it to changes to its service, the spokesperson said.
Tesla is hiring for AI operators across the US, including in Illinois, Massachusetts, Colorado, and Texas, according to its website. The role has around-the-clock shifts and requires workers to sit behind the wheel while FSD is engaged, interact with passengers, and collect detailed reports on vehicle performance. It can also involve testing in various cities across the country. The salary ranges from around $25 to $30 per hour.
The recruiting process involved an FSD test drive, a valid driver’s license, and passing a drug test and background check, according to people who interviewed for the role.
Musk said in October that the company plans to expand its service to eight to 10 metropolitan areas by the end of the year. The company is testing its service in several cities across the country.
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