Overview
- Sen. Ed Markey released company letters Tuesday that show every major operator uses remote assistants for stuck or confused driverless rides but refused to say how often humans step in.
- Tesla told Markey its remote assistance operators can take direct control in rare last‑resort cases at very low speeds, moving a robotaxi up to 10 mph after other fixes fail, with staff based in Austin and Palo Alto.
- Waymo said its agents only advise the software and never steer the car, while noting that about half of these agents work in the Philippines and are trained on U.S. road rules.
- Markey asked NHTSA to investigate remote‑assistance practices and said he will pursue legislation to set reporting, staffing, and safety guardrails after companies cited trade secrets to withhold intervention data.
- Experts and city officials flagged risks from network lag, operator fatigue, and unplanned stops that can block traffic and delay emergency crews, a pressure point that federal standards could address with uniform rules and disclosures.