Those who are now heading at least towards their fourth decade will remember an old, threatening sign once posted on buses and coaches: “Do not talk to the driver.” The same rule apparently still applies in 2026, even when AI is at the wheel. According to U.S. Senator Edward J. Markey, who wanted to learn more about robotaxi safety (the boom of a previously untapped sector is pushing legislators worldwide to regulate these rides), the companies behind these autonomous vehicles are not particularly willing to answer questions.
ROBOTAXIS DO NOT RESPOND TO THE SENATOR’S QUESTIONS
For the drafting of a report, the politician contacted several companies (Aurora, May Mobility, Motional, Nuro, Tesla, Waymo, and Zoox) and asked all of them to specify how often during testing fully robotic vehicles had to rely on remote personnel intervention.
These are objectively embarrassing questions for the parties involved since, the senator reminds us, humans “intervene when an autonomous vehicle faces an uncertain or dangerous driving condition or situation.” In short, where the percentages are particularly high, it would mean that the technology is not nearly as mature as claimed so far by those who have invested billions and are asking an increasing number of urban centers to welcome driverless fleets.
THE SENATOR CUTS THE TIRES OF ROBOTAXIS
Furious, the politician stated, “Autonomous vehicle manufacturers make big promises about the safety of their driverless cars, but apparently human operators continue to play a crucial role in this technology,” declared Senator Markey. “My investigation has revealed a wide range of concerning practices.”
Among these is assistance to vehicles by employees working from abroad: during a Senate Commerce Committee hearing, in response to Senator Markey’s questions, the safety lead of one of the largest companies in the sector, Alphabet’s Waymo (Google), revealed that for assistance with its robotaxis it relies on call centers that do not have offices in the U.S.
Furthermore, the senator insists on the “significant variations in communication latency times between vehicles and human operators” found during information gathering from February to the present. Time is everything in emergency situations. For this reason, “Urgent action is needed through federal regulation,” he promised.
The senator’s investigation also prompted him to contact the authority responsible for road safety, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, to initiate a more thorough investigation, gaining access to those doors that the politician found closed. Meanwhile, he assures the preparation of “a law to impose strict limits on the use of remote operators by autonomous vehicle manufacturers.”
