Tesla Says It’s Building a Wheelchair Accessible Robotaxi

Tesla is building wheelchair access autonomous vehiclea Tesla representative told lawmakers in Washington, DC, on Monday.

“We are planning an autonomous car, designed for people with disabilities,” Tesla’s chief policy adviser India Herdman told members of the DC City Council on Monday, during a meeting focused on a bill that would allow robotaxi services to operate in the state. “We know that paratransit can be very difficult, and people in wheelchairs always need to be able to travel freely, so it’s something that Tesla has created in Texas,” he said.

Tesla did not respond to a request for comment. Herdman did not provide details on when the wheelchair accessible item would be available. Power plants often take several years to produce the advertised product.

Tesla works with a small ships about autonomous vehicles in the Texas cities of Austin, Dallas, and Houston and, starting this month, in Miami, Florida. (That too it works in a way that uses human drivers in the San Francisco Bay Area.) These limited fleets use the Tesla Model Y, a small SUV that is not wheelchair accessible.

The company has started manufacturing and testing the product Cybercabit meant driving a car without a steering wheel or pedals. These Cybercabs are not available for wheelchairs, not even Tesla appearing in post X this month features will be accessible, including braille on controls and wheelchair seats for easy mobility.

Tesla and its CEO, Elon Musk, have previously talked about a wheelchair accessible car. The company introduced an accessibility tab in its Robotaxi app last fall, though it directs users to other wheelchair users in the area, rather than using Tesla. “We are working on increased availability,” the app says. User response X post last fall about Tesla working on accessible transportation, Musk he answered“Of course.”

There is no US robotaxi company offering driverless, wheelchair accessible transportation, including the market leader. That’s it. At the DC meeting on Monday, Waymo’s head of regional and local policy Matt Walsh said, “Until now, it’s my understanding that we haven’t been able to identify a wheelchair-accessible platform and meet the requirements to restore the vehicle with our technology.” He continued: “Now, I don’t want this to sound like a police officer, we are trying to find the car.”

Waymo has announced the availability of its new car, the Zeekr-built Oh yesi, including the bottom, the lower height, and the bars. But it is not necessary for a person to arrive in a wheelchair. Ann Arbor, Michigan-based independent vehicle manufacturer May Mobility offers wheelchair accessible rides in some of its markets, with a driver on board to help make the necessary transportation arrangements.

The Americans With Disabilities Act prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in the transportation system and requires appropriate amendments to provide equal opportunities. Some, but not all, cities in the US require bus companies to provide services for people with disabilities. Many of these companies offer these tours through partnerships with special vehicles designed for wheelchair users.

In September 2025, the US Department of Justice the defendant Uber for “refusing to change its policies, practices, or procedures as necessary to prevent discrimination against passengers with disabilities.” The case is pending.

General Motors’ Cruise launched a wheelchair accessible driverless taxi in 2023 and said they want to release the car in its self-driving mode in 2024. collision with a pedestrianCruise all but suspended national operations in 2023. The following year, General Motors he stopped paying for his car.