A Tesla has started charging a “cleaning fee” of up to $150 for passengers of its autonomous taxi service Robotáxi who vomit or smoke in their cars.
+ Video: Newly purchased Ford truck leaves the dealership with scratches on the paint
+ Woman is shocked to discover that the sunroof of the new 2026 Ford Explorer does not open: “It’s fixed”
The information was shared by Sawyer Merrittinfluencer of Teslawhich revealed that fines are already being applied to users of the service in Austin, Texas (USA), as reported by the website Mashable.
According to him, the fees have two levels. The first is “moderate soiling”, which involves an extra fee of US$50 if the vehicle has “food spills, significant dirt and light stains”.
Meanwhile, there is the “severe fouling” level, which imposes a $150 fine on the ride for cleaning up “vomit or smoke in the vehicle.”
“We prioritize maintaining a clean and comfortable environment for all passengers and promoting responsible behavior on the part of users,” said the Tesla in a statement sent to the influencer.
“To address incidents where vehicles require additional cleaning after a trip, we will assess the type and severity of soiling and apply the appropriate fee. Once the fee has been calculated, you will receive an email informing you that additional cleaning of the vehicle was required after your trip.”
“An updated travel receipt will also be available in the Travel History section of the Robotáxi app. If you believe there has been an inappropriate charge, call the Customer Support team and follow the instructions in option 7”, the company said.
Although the Tesla has not yet disclosed the fee details on its Rules for Robotáxi Passengers page, it is already stated that dirtying the vehicle will result in an “additional fee” at “the discretion of the Tesla“.
This type of fee is nothing new. According to Gizmodoa Waymoan autonomous taxi service from Alphabetalso imposes a $50 cleaning fine for passengers who report dirt during the ride.
If the incident is not reported, the Waymo charges US$100 for the first occurrence and, in future cases, increases the cost of cleaning. The site mentioned that a user received a US$400 fine for smoking inside a company vehicle. Hertz.
It is worth noting that, while the vehicle does not have a driver, it is certainly a human who will scrub the vomit from the car seats. So, in addition to paying for cleaning materials, the fee will likely go toward paying these workers. And, in addition, it also serves to discourage intentional dirt on autonomous vehicles.
Photo: Unsplash. This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
