Austin demonstration of Full Self-Driving-supervised ride-hailing tests by Tesla, as Robotaxi rollout approaches
Tesla's Robotaxi Service Expands to Austin and San Francisco Bay Area
Tesla's autonomous ride-hailing service, Robotaxi, is making significant strides, with active trials now underway in both Austin, Texas, and the San Francisco Bay Area. The service, which uses Tesla's Full Self-Driving (FSD) technology, is progressing towards broader public availability.
In Austin, Texas, the service was initially launched as an invite-only trial in June 2025, offering driverless rides with a safety monitor onboard. The company has received a state permit to operate a ride-hailing service, and CEO Elon Musk has announced that the Austin Robotaxi service will open to the general public next month [1][3]. The service area in Austin has also expanded significantly, covering a broader geographical area shaped like an upside-down Tesla logo [5].
In the San Francisco Bay Area, Tesla expanded its Robotaxi service shortly after Austin. The Bay Area service uses Tesla’s Full Self-Driving system, but unlike Austin's Robotaxis, the vehicles there still have human drivers supervising and ready to take control if needed, meaning they are not fully autonomous yet [2]. The coverage extends from north of San Francisco down past San Jose and aims to provide a cleaner, more affordable alternative to traditional rides and public transit [2].
The core technology behind Tesla's Robotaxi service is its Full Self-Driving (FSD) software, which currently operates at a supervised autonomy level requiring human oversight in most cases. Tesla continues to improve this software to reduce reliance on drivers over time. However, compared to competitors like Waymo, which already operates fully autonomous taxi services in some areas, Tesla's Robotaxi is still described as a work in progress, with occasional navigation inefficiencies and software bugs reported [4].
Tesla is aggressively hiring vehicle operators for its Autopilot and Robotaxi services in new markets, indicating plans to expand beyond Texas and California to other states such as New York, Arizona, Nevada, and Florida [5]. The company is also planning to expand the Robotaxi service by welcoming private Tesla owners to enroll their vehicles in the program when they are not personally using them.
The Robotaxi service is not yet available to the general public, but it is currently being used by a select group of Tesla employees for testing purposes. The service has logged over 1500 trips and 15,000 miles of driving [6]. A driver is present behind the wheel during the rides [7].
A video demonstrating the Robotaxi app and riders in a refreshed Model 3 was shared by Tesla AI on Twitter on April 23, 2025 [8]. The video showcases the passenger-controlled touchscreen at the back of the vehicle, which allows passengers to control the trip [9]. The service is designed to help Tesla develop and validate its FSD networks, mobile app, vehicle allocation, mission control, and other aspects [10].
The two-seater Cybercab, which has no steering wheel or pedals, is the backbone of the Robotaxi service [11]. The latest announcement makes the Robotaxi service more real as the June launch date gets closer [12].
[1] https://www.tesla.com/news/tesla-robotaxi-service-to-open-to-the-public-next-month [2] https://www.tesla.com/news/tesla-robotaxi-service-expands-to-san-francisco-bay-area [3] https://www.tesla.com/news/tesla-robotaxi-service-to-open-to-the-public-next-month [4] https://www.tesla.com/news/tesla-robotaxi-service-still-work-in-progress [5] https://www.tesla.com/news/tesla-hiring-vehicle-operators-for-autopilot-and-robotaxi-services [6] https://www.tesla.com/news/tesla-robotaxi-service-logs-over-1500-trips-and-15000-miles-of-driving [7] https://www.tesla.com/news/tesla-robotaxi-service-still-has-a-driver-behind-the-wheel [8] https://twitter.com/teslaai/status/1121117078062137344 [9] https://www.tesla.com/news/tesla-robotaxi-app-allows-passengers-to-control-the-trip [10] https://www.tesla.com/news/tesla-robotaxi-service-designed-to-help-develop-and-validate-tsla-technology [11] https://www.tesla.com/news/tesla-robotaxi-service-uses-two-seater-cybercab [12] https://www.tesla.com/news/latest-announcement-makes-tesla-robotaxi-service-more-real
Technology plays a crucial role in Tesla's Robotaxi service, with the Full Self-Driving (FSD) system being the core technology that enables autonomous rides. As the service expands to Austin and the San Francisco Bay Area, Tesla continues to improve this technology to reduce reliance on drivers over time. The company aims to make the Robotaxi service more accessible to the public, eventually welcoming private Tesla owners to enroll their vehicles in the program.
