Hailing a taxi or calling a rideshare yields a fairly predictable outcome: You wait for the designated vehicle to arrive, you hop inside, you exchange a few pleasantries with the driver and then you’re on your way. But what if you opened the door and there was no one behind the wheel? More and more passengers are having exactly that experience for the first time thanks to the growth of robotaxis and autonomous vehicles.
Although many people have yet to see one, let alone ride in one, robotaxis have begun rolling onto roads across the country and around the world: As of November 2025, Waymo was operating more than 2,500 vehicles across the United States. Tesla, meanwhile, launched its own robotaxi service in Austin, Texas, in June 2025. And Tensor plans to release the world’s first personal robocar this year.
And yet, there’s still a large divide between impressive technology and public confidence. For example, only 13% of Americans say they would trust a self-driving vehicle, according to AAA. And while 74% of drivers are aware of robotaxis, more than half (53%) say they wouldn’t ride in one.
For the companies that are operating autonomous taxis, it’s plain to see that success hinges as much on building trust as it does on building technology.
Are Autonomous Vehicles and Robotaxis Safe?
Public skepticism about autonomous taxis largely stems from a single question: Are they safe? To answer that question in the affirmative, autonomous vehicle manufacturers do extensive testing and measuring, according to Mark Goodstein, CEO of Streetscope, which offers context-aware traffic safety assessments. In an interview with The Forecast, he explained the differences between testing human drivers and testing autonomous vehicles.
“You and I get our licenses when we’re 15-and-three-quarters and eagerly go out and drive, but we’re never tested again,” Goodstein said.
“Autonomous vehicle developers are often developing their own thing in a world of absolute secrecy and no sharing of data. That’s understandable, but kind of problematic for the rest of us out here walking on the same streets.”
Streetscope uses traffic observation cameras, dash-cams, GPS, perception data and kinematics to create safer driving experiences. Goodstein stressed that measuring collisions isn’t feasible, so Streetscope looks at interactions. That leading indicator provides a significant dataset without requiring vehicles to travel millions of miles.
“We decided to attack what we thought was the single biggest hole in the road preventing deployment of autonomous vehicles, which is the objective evaluation of safe movement,” explained Goodstein, who said his company’s Streetscope Collision Hazard Measure (SHM) uses movement data to analyze potential hazards on roadways. Much like a thermometer continuously measures temperature, SHM continuously assesses collision risk by analyzing proximity and motion.
Earning Public Confidence in Autonomous Vehicles
Safety is only part of the battle. To get people to actually ride in robotaxis, autonomous vehicle companies need a mix of transparency, data and consistent communication, suggested Goodstein, who expects more benchmarking in the future. Increased consumer awareness is a major factor in keeping companies honest, he noted.
“There are lots of examples of companies putting out slick reports or safety case publications that assume no third-party certification, that they’ll be trusted to do the right thing,” Goodstein said.
“That’s the realization among people. There’s a need for a third party to back up the claims or provide evidence to the safety case arguments.”
Autonomous mobility as a service provider Beep works with communities, public transit systems, airports and campuses to create automated mobility networks, incorporating shuttles, planning strategies and its Beep AutonomOS™ software platform. To date, the company has had 40 deployments of autonomous vehicles across 10 states.
In an interview with The Forecast, Beep Chief Revenue Officer Toby McGraw highlighted the unique elements public transit drivers must keep in mind.
“Drivers traditionally do far more than steer,” McGraw said. “They enforce policies, assist riders and maintain order. Autonomous systems must replicate these functions to ensure a positive experience. Beep’s focus on solving for these challenges unlocks a new model for transportation operators to quickly extend, expand and enhance shared mobility.”
Beep has invested in community engagement with its deployments, including training first responders, hosting public demonstrations and maintaining open dialogue. McGraw said this transparent and comprehensive approach — paired with human-in-the-loop agents ready to triage and resolve issues remotely — is vital to earning public trust.
“Safety reporting is essential,” McGraw explained. “It provides agencies with transparent insights into fleet performance and helps evaluate goodness-of-fit within the public sphere. In-vehicle communication is a cornerstone in our deployments. Ensuring there is a human in the loop offers riders peace of mind and confidence that immediate assistance is available.”
Public confidence can also grow from human curiosity and seeing autonomous vehicles on the road. For that reason, Beep has deployed first- and last-mile autonomous vehicles — for instance, delivering people from one side of a campus to the other — so curious riders can test the experience in a more controlled environment, opening the door to greater adoption.
Chinese company Pony.ai recently announced production and distribution of autonomous trucks to complement its growing fleet of robotaxis, which currently operates in eight countries. In its most recent earnings call, CEO James Tong highlighted how familiarity has helped with adoption, from watching autonomous vehicles in action to partnering with common transportation apps like Uber and Bolt.
“Our robotaxi vehicles are essentially moving billboards,” Tong said on the earnings call. “In fact, many new users discover and download our PonyPilot app after spotting our vehicles on the road for daily operation.”
How Cities and Infrastructure Support Autonomous Taxis
As autonomous vehicles and robotaxis develop ways to enhance the consumer experience, they must also account for the places in which they’re driving. That data is crucial to long-term growth and adoption, according to Goodstein.
“We’re not just measuring how a driver drives,” Goodstein said. “We’re also measuring how a driver drives through a particular environment. That lets us understand what role infrastructure plays in generating hazards on the street.”
In pursuit of best-in-class municipal transportation, McGraw said cities are adapting both physically and psychologically to streets shared with driverless cars. For instance, he’s seen cities build confidence in AI services and autonomous vehicles through community engagement campaigns and live demonstrations. Enthusiastic support at the city planning level can trickle down to individual riders, he suggested.
“Municipalities are updating signage, lane markings and curb management policies to accommodate autonomous vehicle operations. Some cities are even creating dedicated autonomous vehicle zones or adjusting traffic signal timing to optimize mixed-use environments,” McGraw said.
“As local road users experience the reliability and safety of autonomous vehicles firsthand, the perception shifts from novelty to normalcy, paving the way for broader adoption.”
Cities and autonomous vehicle operators are evolving with better accessibility features, real-time updates, journey planning app integration and other improvements. As a result, they’re making autonomous vehicles feel like a natural extension of public transit or traditional rideshare experiences, which will go a long way toward building public confidence — not only in dense cities, but also in rural areas.
“Rural roads are already disproportionately dangerous,” McGraw said. “By providing a new transportation option and removing unnecessary or unwanted vehicle trips — without the need for new cost-prohibitive permanent or fixed infrastructure — autonomous vehicles can make rural communities safer, connected and convenient more quickly.”
Joey Held is a writer and podcaster based in Austin, Texas. He’s the founder of Fun Fact Friyay and the author of Kind, But Kind of Weird: Short Stories on Life’s Relationships. Connect with him on LinkedIn or BlueSky.
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