Man takes driverless Tesla Robotaxi during rush hour and instantly regrets it
Published on Sep 09, 2026 at 1:44 PM (UTC+4)
by Henry Kelsall
Last updated on Sep 09, 2026 at 1:44 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Ben Thompson
A man has taken a ride in a Tesla Robotaxi EV during rush hour, and it didn’t take long for some reservations to kick in.
YouTuber Thomas Sieber decided to test out the Robotaxi in the middle of rush hour in Dallas, Texas, to see how it handled the traffic.
Even though he had been in a Waymo before, the experience of the Robotaxi was still a strange one for Sieber.
By the end of the video, would he be left regretting the whole thing?
The Tesla Robotaxi was a weird experience
“I’ve always said never get hurt for a YouTube video, but I’m in a car driving itself right now,” said the YouTuber.
Being in rush hour traffic in a standard car can be daunting enough – so we can only imagine how tense it would feel in a driverless car.
“This is pretty crazy, this is crazy,” Sieber said, as the Tesla pulled out into the 5 pm traffic.
“It really is crazy if this is the future.”
But the YouTuber said he still wanted the option of being able to drive a car, and not solely rely on a computer.
“Would you trust this? That’s my question today!” Sieber remarked.
The video shows Sieber riding in the back of the Tesla EV while it navigates traffic.
The screen that acts as the car’s dashboard shows the car’s journey and what it can see around it.
So when stopped at a red light, the car knows what is around it at that time.
Understandably, there were still points in the journey where he felt a little on edge, but the car handled itself masterfully.
How did the Tesla Robotaxi handle the rush hour traffic?
To the car’s credit, it did appear to handle the traffic quite well.
The Robotaxi handled all the turns okay, and it was fully aware of the traffic that was around it.
“You’ve just gotta trust it; that’s the hardest thing,” said Sieber.
Even more so in the middle of traffic as everyone leaves work to head home.
“In 2026, there is no driver here,” said Sieber as he continued to be amazed by the Tesla Robotaxi EV.
The Robotaxi was able to identify different signs on its journey.
When it arrived at a stop sign, it recognized it and stopped at the junction before proceeding when it knew it was clear.
That is incredibly impressive.
Are Robotaxis the future of automotive travel?
The Tesla did get the YouTuber safely to his destination.
Clearly, it was a strange experience for him, even if he had been in a Waymo before.
The big question, however, is whether this is the future of automotive travel.
There are still a lot of people who are unsure whether or not they can trust this technology.
It is clear from the YouTuber’s video that he is still a bit uneasy as to whether he can fully trust the taxis.
We all probably have a slight bit of uneasiness about self-driving cars, as we like to feel in control.
Equally, it is very impressive to watch the technology at work and how it responds to different situations.
Maybe one day all our taxis will end up driving themselves.
A brief history of Tesla
July 2003: Founders Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning officially incorporate the business
April 2004: Elon Musk leads a $7.5M Series A funding round and becomes board chairman
March 2008: The first production vehicle, the all-electric Roadster, officially launches
June 2010: The EV maker debuts on the NASDAQ and raises $226M in its IPO
June 2012: The groundbreaking Model S luxury sedan enters the global market
September 2015: Tesla Model X is officially released
July 2017: Mass production begins for the more affordable Model 3
March 2020: The Model Y debuts as total vehicle production hits one million
November 2023: First customer deliveries begin for the stainless-steel Cybertruck
2025: The energy division hits record growth driven by massive global battery deployments
2026: Strategic focus shifts heavily toward autonomous driving and the Cybercab platform
Henry joined the Supercar Blondie team in February 2025, and since then has covered a wide array of topics ranging from EVs, American barn finds, and the odd Cold War jet. He’s combined his passion for cars with his keen interest in motorsport and his side hustle as a volunteer steam locomotive fireman at a heritage steam railway.
