Tesla launches robotaxi service in Austin with Model Y cars

American car manufacturer Tesla has launched its Robotaxi autonomous car service in Austin, Texas, offering test rides with a safety monitor present during trips.

A small fleet of Tesla's Robotaxis were deployed on 22 June in the Texas capital as part of testing for a larger, fully autonomous taxi service Musk has been publicly discussing since at least 2019.

The first fleet of Robotaxis includes at least 10 Tesla 2025 Model Y electric sedans. Posts on X show the cars emblazoned with a gold "Robotaxi" insignia on the front door.

According to Tesla, the service is invite-only for now and will operate from 6 AM to 12 AM CST in select areas of Austin. The rides are booked through a Tesla app.

All of the rides will have a safety monitor, an employee to monitor the ride from inside the vehicle, and the rides may be remotely monitored by the company as well, though it's not clear to what extent.

The first rides cost $4.20 and were given to a "select group" of influencers such as Tesla investor Sawyer Merrit and former US Navy commander and YouTuber Chuck Cook, who shared videos of their rides to X.

The Austin launch follows the unveiling of two Tesla robotaxi prototypes unveiled last October, which will eventually be part of Tesla's ride-hailing service. The prototype vehicles are the 20-seater Robovan and the two-door Cybercab.

"Super congratulations to the @Tesla_AI software & chip design teams on a successful @Robotaxi launch!!," Tesla CEO Elon Musk wrote in an X post. "Culmination of a decade of hard work."

According to Musk, the vehicles will be rolled out in 2026 or 2027.

The current Tesla models join Waymo robotaxis in Austin, which were launched in the city in early 2025 ahead of the tech and music festival SXSW.

A subsidiary of Google, Waymo currently offers services in Phoenix, San Francisco and Los Angeles. It is the only operating self-driving taxi service in the US apart from Tesla and others, such as Amazon's Zoox, which is still under development.

The last major launch from the company was the release of its Cybertruck model in late 2023.

Some commentators have expressed scepticism at Tesla's foray into autonomous driving. In an opinion piece for Dezeen, technology journalist Paris Marx wrote that "Musk made the big robotaxi announcement because he needs a reason to keep people interested in Tesla".

The image is courtesy of Tesla.

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