After nearly a decade of buzz, hype, and Elon tweets, Tesla has officially rolled out its first taste of Tesla’s Robotaxi service in Austin, Texas.
Roughly 10 new 2025 Model Ys are currently operating as ride-sharing vehicles in the Austin area as part of an early sneak peek. These rides are exclusively available to individuals handpicked by Tesla, running from 6AM to midnight, and are priced at a flat rate of $4.20 (approx. RM18).
Riders can summon the cars through a Tesla-made app, but don’t expect them to show up in a storm. According to some invitees who shared details on X, bad weather will put the brakes on the autonomous adventure.“As an Early Access Rider, you can be among the first to use our new Robotaxi App and experience a ride within our geofenced area in Austin,” Tesla said in the invitations. “Through this exclusive preview, you’ll have the opportunity to provide valuable feedback on our
.”
But of course, this is Tesla we’re talking about. So there are a few 'limitations'. For one, it’s not truly “unsupervised” driving just yet. Every Robotaxi still has a safety driver up front, ready to jump in if anything goes sideways. That’s a big difference from Waymo, which already runs its cars without anyone behind the wheel.
Elon Musk has called this a make-or-break moment for Tesla’s future. Whether it's the start of a driverless revolution or just another bold experiment, one thing’s clear: the robotaxi era has officially taken its first baby steps.