Tesla’s Austin robotaxi service has fallen far short of its ambitious expansion goals. The company launched its driverless ride service in June 2025 with about 10 Model Y vehicles in South Austin. Today, the fleet has grown to roughly 29 or 30 vehicles. That’s only about 6 percent of the 500-vehicle target Tesla promised for the end of 2025.
Tesla’s Austin robotaxi fleet remains at roughly 30 vehicles, just 6 percent of its promised 500-vehicle target for 2025.
The gap between promises and reality raises questions about Tesla’s transparency and ability to scale its robotaxi operations. Elon Musk recently announced plans to roughly double the Austin fleet to about 60 vehicles. However, even that expanded goal falls far short of earlier projections. During a September podcast appearance, Musk had suggested there’d be 500 or more vehicles operating in Austin by year-end. Tesla has attempted to block public records requests regarding operational details and safety data from the robotaxi program.
Tesla’s timeline for removing human safety monitors has also slipped considerably. The company originally planned to remove safety drivers by the end of 2025. During a Q3 2025 earnings call, Tesla stated it expected to shift to fully driverless operations by December 2025. That hasn’t happened.
Today, human employees still sit in the right front passenger seat with their finger on a killswitch, ready to stop the vehicle if needed. Competitors like Waymo have already achieved driverless operation without safety drivers, demonstrating that the technology can work at scale without human intervention.
Safety concerns complicate the scenario further. Multiple accidents have been reported during testing, despite the presence of safety monitors. Videos shared by invited riders on social media documented several incidents. The crashes raise questions about whether the technology is ready for full driverless operation without human oversight.
Tesla’s service operates with considerable limitations. Rides cost a flat $4.20 per trip and are available only to invited customers. The service runs from 6 a.m. to midnight and shuts down during bad weather. Operations remain confined to a narrow South Austin region.
Recently, Tesla’s Robotaxi app added new features including live screen sharing and the ability for Tesla to access in-vehicle video and audio. These updates could eventually support removing physical safety monitors. For now, though, the modest fleet size and ongoing safety concerns suggest Tesla’s vision of large-scale driverless robotaxis remains a distant goal rather than an imminent reality.