Tesla’s robotaxi service has expanded its coverage area in Austin to surpass Waymo’s fully autonomous fleet, even though Tesla’s vehicles still carry safety monitors in the front seat. The expansion happened on July 19, 2025, when Tesla broadened its service beyond downtown Austin to include residential neighborhoods, business districts, and major transit corridors across the metropolitan area.
Tesla officially launched its robotaxi service in Austin on June 22, 2025, after running a pilot program since early 2024. The company collected 18 months of real-world data before opening to the public. The fleet consists of 10 to 20 Model Y SUVs that now compete directly with Waymo’s existing operations in the city.
While Waymo operates through Uber’s platform with fully autonomous vehicles, Tesla’s approach differs. Tesla’s robotaxis have safety monitors sitting in the front passenger seat during regular operations. When driving on highways, a safety driver sits in the driver’s seat but keeps their hands off the wheel. This supervision isn’t required by law – Tesla chose this cautious approach even though it has permission to operate without human drivers in Texas.
The company holds a statewide transportation network permit that’s valid until August 6, 2026. This permit allows Tesla to operate anywhere in Texas, giving it a wider potential reach than Waymo’s current Austin-only service. Tesla plans to remove safety drivers completely by the end of 2025.
Tesla opened its robotaxi app to everyone in September 2025. Before that, only investors, social media influencers, and early access participants could use the service. The app is available in Apple’s app store, though new users must join a waitlist.
The vehicles use Tesla’s Vision camera system and run on the company’s Full Self-Driving Beta software. Tesla refined the technology using safety data and customer feedback from the pilot program. The company also improved its mapping and routing systems for the wider deployment.
CEO Elon Musk has stated he wants Tesla’s robotaxi service to reach half of the U.S. population by the end of 2025. The Austin expansion represents the first major step toward that goal since the pilot launch.