🚗 Tesla starts driverless taxi service in Austin

🚗 Tesla starts driverless taxi service in Austin

Tesla has launched its Robotaxi service without drivers in Austin, Texas, where the public can for the first time order driverless rides. This is the first step in a rollout that Elon Musk has said will make autonomous ride-sharing ubiquitous.

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  • Tesla has launched its Robotaxi service without drivers in Austin, Texas, where the public can for the first time order driverless rides.
  • This is the first step in a rollout that Elon Musk has said will make autonomous ride-sharing ubiquitous.
  • Safety monitors are present in the cars but have no pedals or steering wheel on their side.

Currently limited to a smaller area

Tesla has officially launched its Robotaxi service platform without drivers in Austin, Texas. This is the first time Tesla allows driverless Robotaxis to pick up the public and transport them via the ride-sharing service the company has developed over several years.

The Robotaxi platform is currently limited to a smaller area in south Austin. The area takes about thirty minutes to drive from one end to the other. Tesla prioritizes safety through several protective measures implemented in this early program.

There is a fixed price of just 4.20 dollars for any ride, regardless of duration, for the time being. This will not always be the case, however. When a broader customer base gets access to order Robotaxis, ticket prices will vary based on factors such as travel distance, trip length, and potentially time of day.

Rides are ordered through a Robotaxi addition in the regular Tesla iOS app.

Image from Sawyer Merritt.

Safety monitors without control

The safety monitor is only there to ensure everything goes smoothly during each ride. They have no pedals or steering wheel on their side. The car does everything during these Robotaxi rides.

New revenue stream for Tesla

This is the first step in a rollout that Elon Musk, the company's chief executive, has said will make autonomous ride-sharing ubiquitous while bringing in hundreds of billions of dollars in revenue.

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