Tesla has officially launched its highly anticipated robotaxi service in Austin, Texas, offering driverless rides in Model Y SUVs.
The event marked the first time Tesla cars without human drivers have carried paying riders, a business that Tesla’s CEO Elon Musk sees as essential to the company’s financial future.
The launch kicked off on Sunday, with videos emerging online of passengers enjoying rides in driverless Tesla vehicles, as reported by Reuters.
This marks a great accomplishment for CEO Elon Musk, who has already spent nearly a decade making significant claims regarding Tesla’s autonomous and unique driving capabilities.
Taking to his microblogging site X (formerly Twitter), Musk stated the occasion was the "culmination of a decade of hard work."
The initial service area is limited to a little section of South Austin, with a projected fleet of nearly ten 2025 Model Y vehicles.
According to Tesla's recently launched robotaxi information page, the service operates daily from 6:00am to midnight but might pause during adverse weather conditions.
Despite being promoted as “driverless,” a Tesla employee sits in the front passenger seat to supervise safety, while the complete control of the vehicle remains unclear.
Tesla robotaxis service prices
Available for $4.20, the rides are part of a limited early-access programme. A few users were sent exclusive invitations last week to install and use the company’s latest robotaxi app.
