Tesla Expands Robotaxi Service to Dallas and Houston

Tesla announced on April 18 the launch of its autonomous ride-hailing service in Dallas and Houston, Texas. This marks a further expansion of Tesla’s U.S. operations following its initial rollout in Austin last year. The company shared the announcement via social media, accompanied by two videos showing Model Y vehicles driving on city streets in both locations—with no driver or safety operator present in the front seats. Tesla also released maps outlining the service areas in the two cities but did not disclose specific operational details such as fleet size or pricing. CEO Elon Musk reposted the announcement, stating that users can now experience the service in Dallas and Houston. Previously, Tesla’s Austin autonomous taxi service began with geographic restrictions and included safety operators, gradually expanding its coverage area and eventually removing onboard personnel. In 2023, the company also launched a ride-hailing service in the San Francisco Bay Area. Although Musk had previously set a goal to deploy autonomous taxis across multiple major U.S. metropolitan areas by the end of 2025, that timeline has not yet been met. Currently, several other companies—including Waymo (owned by Google) and Zoox (owned by Amazon)—are also accelerating their autonomous ride-hailing initiatives. Tesla has shifted its strategic focus toward artificial intelligence and robotics, viewing large-scale deployment of its Full Self-Driving software as critical to its future growth.