Tesla launches robotaxi service in San Antonio — TechCrunch

Tesla has announced the launch of a robotaxi service in San Antonio, Texas, United States. The vehicles will be available to passengers from 5:00 a.m. local time on Monday, TechCrunch reports.

The company is expanding its robotaxi network in an effort to compete with Waymo and develop its autonomous transportation business. Tesla did not specify the service's operating hours, the vehicle models in the new fleet, or whether safety operators will be present in the cabins.

Expansion of Tesla's network

In June 2025, Tesla launched a limited robotaxi service in Austin. Safety operators were present in the vehicles at the time. In January, the company removed them from its robotaxis in Austin, launching a fully driverless service.

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Over the following 11 months, Tesla expanded its operating area in Austin and also launched limited services in Miami, Orlando, Dallas, Fort Worth, and Houston. According to Texas vehicle registration data and the Robotaxi Tracker service, Tesla's fleet in Austin has more than 400 registered autonomous vehicles. Fleets in other cities were significantly smaller: Fort Worth had 24 vehicles, while Miami had five.

Competition with Waymo

Waymo, an Alphabet subsidiary, also provides robotaxi services in Austin, Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio. Its fleet uses driverless Jaguar I-Pace and Zeekr RT vehicles. The company recently resumed operations in San Antonio after a five-month pause that followed incidents in which its cars became stuck on flooded roads.

Tesla also has a ride-hailing service in the San Francisco Bay Area, but the vehicles there are driven by people. The company does not have the necessary permits to provide driverless passenger transportation services in California. Data released by Tesla in the summer also showed that in the second quarter, its robotaxi network traveled fewer miles with paying passengers than in the first quarter.