Tesla's Robotaxis have begun testing in Texas

Remember when you watched driverless cars in sci-fi films and thought, “Maybe, in the future.” Well, that future is here, sort of. Tesla has kicked off its robotaxi pilot in Austin, sending a small fleet of driverless Model Y SUVs onto real city streets. It’s not science fiction anymore. But it’s also not quite science fact, at least not yet.

The rides are happening between 6 a.m. and midnight; the invite-only rides cost $4.20 but only in a limited patch of South Austin. Each car still has a Tesla employee in the front passenger seat, acting as a safety monitor. The rollout is intentionally slow, just 10 cars for now, with Elon Musk saying they’ll add more gradually over the coming weeks.

Unlike competitors like Waymo or Amazon, Tesla’s approach is unconventional. Most players in the space rely on lidar sensors, high-resolution maps, and years of road testing. Instead, it's betting everything on cheaper camera-only systems powered by end-to-end neural networks.

That bold strategy may help slash costs. Musk claims future per-mile rates could drop to $0.30–$0.40, much lower than Uber or Waymo, for which the average price of a ride is $20.43, as per reports. But it also comes with higher stakes. Tesla’s Full Self-Driving system is still classified as Level 2, and it’s under federal investigation following at least 17 fatalities.

Compare that to Waymo, which operates Level 4 robotaxis with no safety drivers across cities like Phoenix, San Francisco, and Austin. Waymo logs over 250,000 rides per week, which they say has shown crash rates up to 96% lower than human drivers. Cruise, backed by GM, has a similar setup but recently paused expansion after safety concerns.

Lawmakers and regulators aren’t exactly cheering Tesla on. Texas state senators urged the company to delay until new autonomous vehicle regulations kick in this September. And the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration wants answers on how Tesla plans to handle crashes, severe weather, and emergency intervention.

Despite the scrutiny, Tesla is already considering expanding its operations. Musk says he wants 1,000 robotaxis in Austin within a few months and plans to expand to more cities in Texas and California next.

For now, the robotaxi ride may be live, but the road ahead is still under construction.

Uber is bringing robotaxis to Las Vegas

Ride-hailing company Uber is teaming up with Boston-based Motional, an autonomous vehicle company founded as a partnership between Hyundai and auto parts maker Aptiv, to launch its first robotaxi service or self-driving rides in Las Vegas. The launch is part of a 10-year deal that will pair Motional’s all-electric

TechloyEmmanuel Oyedeji