In service in six US metros
Robotaxi — the service today, and what a metro needs to be ready for it
Tesla's Robotaxi service runs today in limited areas of six metros. How it works — where, in what, at what kind of price, under what rider rules — is the clearest picture of what a metro needs on the ground before any fleet can run.
How the service works today
Per Tesla's Robotaxi support page (tesla.com/support/robotaxi), as of September 4, 2026. Paraphrased; short phrases quoted.
- Where it operates
- Limited areas of Miami, Orlando, and Tampa in Florida, and Austin, Dallas, and Houston in Texas.
- The app shows a service map for each area; operating hours vary by area.
- The fleet
- Model Y and Cybercab vehicles.
- Riders may not sit in the front-left seat.
- The vehicle is assigned by availability and group size; riders do not choose the vehicle initially.
- Pricing
- An estimate is shown in the app before the rider confirms.
- Tesla describes an introductory “simple, affordable rate plus applicable taxes and fees”, subject to change. Tesla's support page does not fix a figure and neither do we.
- Booking
- App only. A rider can book only for themselves.
- Cancel from the app or the vehicle touchscreen. No extra stops; the destination can be changed mid-ride.
- Rider rules
- Model Y: minors aged 8–17 ride with an adult; under 8 not permitted.
- Cybercab: minors aged 13–17 ride with an adult; under 13 not permitted.
- No pets. Service animals are permitted for riders with disabilities.
- Accessibility
- Wheelchair-accessible vehicle (WAV) providers are reachable from the app home screen, per city.
- The app works with screen readers and is available in many languages.
- Support
- “Pull Over” stops the vehicle at the nearest safe spot, and Customer Support calls through the touchscreen.
- A Support button connects a representative.
- Lost items are reported in the app and kept for 10 days.
What coverage adds
Reported by the press sources listed at the bottom of this page. We have not verified them independently.
- The Model Y vehicles in service run Tesla's autonomy software with the steering wheel in place.
- Service began in Austin in June 2025.
- Coverage describes the rides in the six Florida and Texas metros as unsupervised.
- Separately from Tesla's list above: coverage reports the San Francisco Bay Area running with a safety driver under California rules.
What it means for our network
We make no claim that this service is coming to the Carolinas. What we take from the metros where it runs is the list of things a network needs before the first ride: hubs where vehicles charge, park, get cleaned, and get serviced, close to where riders are.
That is the infrastructure we are organizing in Charlotte, Raleigh, and Wilmington. If you own or operate property, charging, or service capacity, we would like to hear from you.
What this means for an operator
- Service areas are drawn per metro, and the app shows riders a map. A hub map has to match that service map: charging, parking, cleaning, and service inside or at the edge of the area riders can actually book.
- Support is live and human. “Pull Over”, a support call from the touchscreen, a representative on a button: an operator needs a staffed support desk and a lost-and-found process (Tesla keeps items for 10 days) from the first day.
- Accessibility is served through partners today: WAV providers reachable from the app, per city. That is an opening for hub partners who can host or run accessible capacity alongside the fleet.
- Rider rules — minimum ages, an adult with minors, no pets, no front-left seat — become the operator's to enforce at pickup points, especially at events and hubs where groups gather.