--- title: "Tesla Successfully Launches Robotaxi Service in Austin" description: "Tesla has launched its Robotaxi service in Austin, marking a significant step in its autonomous driving goals. The pilot program features 10 to 20 Model Y vehicles offering driverless rides with a saf" type: "news" locale: "en" url: "https://longbridge.com/en/news/245601364.md" published_at: "2025-06-23T00:55:35.000Z" --- # Tesla Successfully Launches Robotaxi Service in Austin > Tesla has launched its Robotaxi service in Austin, marking a significant step in its autonomous driving goals. The pilot program features 10 to 20 Model Y vehicles offering driverless rides with a safety monitor present. Rides are available from 6 a.m. to midnight for a promotional fare of $4.20. Initial reactions have been positive, although some navigation quirks were noted. CEO Elon Musk anticipates rapid expansion, potentially deploying thousands of robotaxis soon, while emphasizing safety and regulatory compliance as key challenges ahead. Tesla has officially, and successfully, launched its long-awaited Robotaxi service, marking a major milestone in the company’s autonomous driving ambitions. On Sunday afternoon, a select group of invited users took their first driverless rides through South Austin in Tesla Model Y vehicles equipped with the latest Full Self-Driving (FSD) software. CEO Elon Musk heralded the launch as the “culmination of a decade of hard work,” posting on X to congratulate Tesla’s AI software and chip design teams. While the company had previously promised a fully unsupervised autonomous experience, the current rollout still includes a Tesla employee sitting in the front passenger seat as a safety monitor. Nevertheless, no one occupies the driver’s seat, making this the first public ride-hailing service by Tesla to deploy driverless vehicles on city streets. ### A Cautious Rollout The pilot program includes 10 to 20 Tesla Model Y vehicles operating within a geofenced section of South Austin. The area spans a roughly 30-minute driving radius and has been thoroughly mapped by Tesla engineers. Rides are currently available between 6 a.m. and midnight and are being offered for a flat promotional fare of $4.20 per trip — a nod to Musk’s frequent use of the figure in public messaging. Tesla’s new robotaxi service is being accessed through an update to the existing Tesla mobile app, where users in the Early Access Program can hail a ride, choose destinations, and sync personal vehicle preferences such as media playlists and climate control settings. Despite the excitement, Tesla is moving forward cautiously. The company has restricted service during inclement weather, avoids complex intersections, and does not permit riders under 18. Tesla also emphasizes that safety monitors cannot intervene via a steering wheel or pedals but can activate a “kill switch” if necessary. ### Public Reactions and First Rides Early ride footage posted by Tesla influencers showed smooth driving performance, although some experienced minor navigation quirks. One vehicle reportedly braked unexpectedly in an intersection near police vehicles, though no incident occurred. Riders praised the experience as “smooth,” “normal,” and “uneventful,” with many livestreaming their experiences across social media. Tesla’s robotaxi system is powered by an advanced version of FSD software that relies solely on cameras and neural network training — a stark contrast to competitors like Waymo, which use lidar and radar. Tesla’s approach has drawn skepticism from industry experts, but on Sunday the system performed without a major incident. ### What’s Next? Musk has hinted at a rapid scale-up, saying Tesla could have “thousands” of robotaxis on roads within months, though the company has not confirmed timelines for broader availability. The futuristic “Cybercab” vehicle first revealed in late 2024 is not part of this initial deployment, with production not expected until 2026. As Tesla collects real-world data from the Austin pilot, the challenge now shifts from a successful launch to expanding operations safely, securing public trust, and navigating evolving regulatory frameworks across the U.S. and beyond. ### Related Stocks - [TSLA.US - Tesla](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/TSLA.US.md) - [TSDD.US - GraniteShares 2x Short TSLA Daily ETF](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/TSDD.US.md) - [TSLL.US - Direxion Daily TSLA Bull 2X Shares](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/TSLL.US.md) - [TSLQ.US - AXS TSLA Bear Daily ETF](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/TSLQ.US.md) - [09366.HK - XI2CSOPTSLA-U](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/09366.HK.md) - [07766.HK - XL2CSOPTSLA](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/07766.HK.md) - [07366.HK - XI2CSOPTSLA](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/07366.HK.md) - [TSLR.US - GraniteShares 2x Long TSLA Daily ETF](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/TSLR.US.md) - [SCI.US - Service Corporation International](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/SCI.US.md) ## Related News & Research | Title | Description | URL | |-------|-------------|-----| | 特斯拉在九个欧洲国家的车辆中引入了 Grok 系统 | 特斯拉将在包括英国、德国和法国在内的九个欧洲国家的车辆中引入 xAI 的 Grok。Grok 允许驾驶员以免提方式与系统互动，并具有可选择的个性以提供多样化的响应。它适用于特定软件版本的选定车型。分析师对 TSLA 股票给予持有评级，平均目 | [Link](https://longbridge.com/en/news/276072389.md) | | 特斯拉将 Model Y 长续航后轮驱动版引入英国 | 特斯拉在英国推出了后驱长续航版 Model Y，起售价为 44,990 英镑，比其前身低了 4,000 英镑。该车型提供 383 英里的 WLTP 续航，并进行了多项规格调整，包括分体式灯光布局、取消全景天窗以及缩小音响系统。豪华版的售价为 | [Link](https://longbridge.com/en/news/276044926.md) | | 特斯拉 “机器人出租车” 状态检查：经过 8 个月，仅有 19% 的可用性，马斯克的所有承诺都未兑现 | 特斯拉的 “机器人出租车” 服务在八个月前在奥斯汀推出，但未能达到预期。埃隆·马斯克承诺到 2025 年提供 500 辆汽车和全面覆盖，但目前仅有 42 辆汽车在运营，且可用率不足 20%。该服务的事故率是人类驾驶员的九倍，而预期的无人驾驶 | [Link](https://longbridge.com/en/news/276063972.md) | | 特斯拉因与 Apple Maps 的兼容性问题而推迟了 Apple CarPlay 的推出 | 特斯拉因与苹果地图的兼容性问题，特别是在自动驾驶期间的逐向导航，推迟了 Apple CarPlay 的推出。尽管苹果在 iOS 26 发布后开发了修复方案并包含在安全更新中，但特斯拉在确保所有用户都能获得必要更新之前，对部署 CarPlay | [Link](https://longbridge.com/en/news/276010157.md) | | 埃隆·马斯克表示，特斯拉将在他所能想象的未来时间内，拥有 “最大规模” 的自动驾驶车队 | 埃隆·马斯克，特斯拉公司（NASDAQ:TSLA）首席执行官，宣布他设想特斯拉未来将拥有最大的自动驾驶汽车车队，这与公司的长期目标和人工智能投资相一致。特斯拉目前正在奥斯汀测试其机器人出租车，并与 Waymo 等公司竞争。自动驾驶汽车的竞争 | [Link](https://longbridge.com/en/news/276007509.md) | --- > **Disclaimer**: This article is for reference only and does not constitute any investment advice.