Tesla’s Robotaxi hits the US streets, here's what a ride will cost

Elon Musk’s vision of a driverless future is beginning to take shape as Tesla officially launched its Robotaxi pilot service in Austin, Texas. After years of anticipation and repeated delays, a limited number of Tesla’s autonomous vehicles — based on the Model Y — are now operating in designated areas of the city.

The debut rollout is currently limited to select social media influencers and digital creators as part of a soft launch. Each Robotaxi ride is priced at a flat $4.20 and operates under a controlled pilot with a human safety monitor present in the front passenger seat.

The @Tesla_AI robotaxi launch begins in Austin this afternoon with customers paying a $4.20 flat fee!

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 22, 2025

While Tesla’s move has captured global attention, it’s worth noting that Alphabet’s Waymo has been running autonomous ride-hailing services in select U.S. cities since 2018. What sets Tesla apart is its use of vision-based AI systems — relying on cameras rather than radar or lidar — a decision that has sparked debate among safety experts and regulators, especially under foggy or low-visibility conditions.

How Robotaxi Works

Currently, Tesla’s Robotaxi service runs a small fleet of 10–20 vehicles in geofenced areas of Austin, operating between 6 AM and midnight. The vehicles avoid highways, airports, and adverse weather conditions.

The ride-hailing process mimics traditional cab apps. Once opened to the public, users will be able to download the Robotaxi app, enter their destination, confirm the ride, and track the vehicle’s arrival. Features include ride customisation via Tesla’s interface — from adjusting climate control to music — and the ability to update destinations mid-ride.

Passengers can monitor the journey in real time, with safety controls that allow them to pause or stop the ride if needed. Each trip begins only after the rider confirms details through the app and taps “Start.”

Musk celebrated the milestone on X (formerly Twitter), writing: “Super congratulations to the @Tesla_AI software & chip design teams on a successful @Robotaxi launch!! Culmination of a decade of hard work.”

While it’s early days for Tesla’s autonomous cab ambitions, the Robotaxi launch marks a tangible step toward Musk’s larger goal of deploying one million self-driving cars globally. For now, Tesla is cautiously testing the waters — one ride at a time.

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