After years of anticipation, Tesla's autonomous ride-hailing dream is becoming a reality. The company recently rolled out a small fleet of 10 self-driving Model Ys in South Austin. The invite-only service is currently operating within a geofenced area, and passengers have begun posting videos of their hands-free rides across social media
After years of anticipation, Tesla's autonomous ride-hailing dream is becoming a reality. Pic/X
Tesla's long-awaited robotaxi service is officially live. Early riders are sharing the first look at their trips inside driverless Model Y electric SUVs now cruising the streets of Austin, Texas.
After years of anticipation, Tesla's autonomous ride-hailing dream is becoming a reality. The company recently rolled out a small fleet of 10 self-driving Model Ys in South Austin. The invite-only service is currently operating within a geofenced area, and passengers have begun posting videos of their hands-free rides across social media.
One X user who experienced the ride shared, “The best tech feels like magic because it’s so normal you don’t even notice it… until you do. Took a ride in a Tesla Robotaxi today. In this clip, it pulls aside on a narrow street with construction, making room for an oncoming car that illegally enters our lane. The other driver slows down, begins to apologise, then looks stunned when he realises there’s no driver. He smiles and gives a big thumbs up. An incredible display of real-world AI. Congrats to Elon Musk, Ashok Elluswamy and the Tesla AI team. Excited to see this scale to Robotaxis and eventually Optimus.”
The best tech feels like magic because it’s so normal you don’t even notice it… until you do.
— DJ Seo (@djseo) June 23, 2025
Took a ride in a Tesla Robotaxi today.
In this clip, it pulls aside on a narrow street with construction, making room for an oncoming car that illegally turns into our lane.
The… pic.twitter.com/UZ9S13xGDO
Another X user noted, “Tesla Robotaxi performance at night is just as impressive as during the day.”
Tesla Robotaxi performance at night is as great as it is during the day. pic.twitter.com/DL864fCVuz
— Zack (@BLKMDL3) June 23, 2025
Podcaster Rob Maurer, host of Tesla Daily, also shared his experience on X, posting a full video of his trip across South Austin, ten miles from start to finish.
Here’s my entire first Tesla Robotaxi trip from start to finish. Ten miles across south Austin. Timestamps in comments. pic.twitter.com/cr6y4z1UWB
— Rob Maurer (@TeslaPodcast) June 22, 2025
Tesla AI's official X account emphasised scalability, stating, “Our approach to autonomy enables deployment anywhere it’s approved, without expensive, specialised equipment or detailed maps. It just works.”
Our approach to autonomy also enables scalability:
— Tesla AI (@Tesla_AI) June 22, 2025
Tesla self-driving can be deployed anywhere it's approved.
It does not require expensive, specialized equipment or extensive mapping of service areas.
It just works
Passengers were clearly impressed, with one summing it up as: “Smoother than a human driver. Absolutely amazing work by Tesla and the team. Well done.”
Our second Robotaxi ride done.
— Zack (@BLKMDL3) June 22, 2025
It’s smoother than a human driver. Absolutely amazing work by @Tesla_AI team. Well done. pic.twitter.com/s2j2McOegV
Overall, riders seem thrilled with Tesla’s Robotaxi experience, hailing it as a major leap toward the future of autonomous transport.
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