Tesla expands robotaxi to Dallas, Houston

Tesla’s Robotaxi service is now live in Dallas and Houston as well as Austin, according to Tesla’s website, extending the company’s Texas-only autonomous ride-hailing footprint. Reuters reporters who tested the service in the three cities found long waits, periods with no cars available and drop-offs that left riders well short of their intended destinations. Tesla did not respond to Reuters requests for comment in the May 12 report. Elon Musk has tied Tesla’s growth plans to autonomous driving for years, but the latest rider accounts showed the current service still operating with the constraints of a limited rollout. ### How far has Tesla actually expanded the service? Tesla’s Robotaxi webpage says autonomous rides are currently offered in Austin, Dallas and Houston, and that riders can book through the company’s iOS or Android app. The page says the service is starting with Model Y vehicles and says Tesla’s purpose-built Cybercab will offer rides in the future. April was the month Tesla expanded to Dallas and Houston, according to the Reuters report republished by WHBL. (tesla.com) That report said the company’s first robotaxi pilot began in Austin last June, leaving Tesla’s live service still confined to three Texas cities even after Musk’s earlier national expansion forecasts. ### What did riders and reporters run into in Dallas? (tesla.com) Dallas provided the clearest example in Reuters’ testing. A reporter trying to travel from Southern Methodist University to Dallas City Hall on a recent Monday afternoon spent nearly two hours completing what would usually be about a 20-minute, 5-mile trip, Reuters reported. At 4:55 p.m., the Reuters reporter requested a ride and received “high service demand” notices, while Uber showed an 8-minute wait for a 22-minute trip to city hall, according to the report. (whbl.com) After 36 minutes of trying, a Robotaxi became available, but the app then showed a further 19-minute wait. Once the ride began, the vehicle took surface streets instead of the main freeway route and dropped the rider in a parking lot about a 15-minute walk from City Hall, Reuters said. A support agent told the rider the area was “restricted,” even though Reuters said it was inside Tesla’s posted Dallas service area. ### Were the problems limited to Dallas? Reuters said the same pattern showed up across Austin, Dallas and Houston. The report said reporters at times could not get a car at all and were dropped off well away from their actual destinations in the three cities. Austin was not exempt despite having the longest-running Tesla robotaxi operation. Reuters reported that customers in Austin can still face waits exceeding half an hour, and said Austin officials recently indicated Tesla was operating about 50 vehicles there. (whbl.com) ### What has Musk said about the rollout pace? Musk said in July 2025 that Tesla robotaxis would serve half the U.S. population by the end of 2025, according to Reuters. (whbl.com) That did not happen, and Reuters said the service remains limited to Austin, Dallas and Houston. After Tesla’s first-quarter earnings report on April 22, Musk said the company was taking a “cautious approach” to avoid injuries or fatalities, Reuters reported. January 22, 2026 brought a new timeline. CNBC reported that Musk said at the World Economic Forum in Davos that Tesla’s robotaxis would be “very, very widespread” in the United States by the end of 2026. CNBC also reported that Musk said Austin rides were then operating with no safety monitor and that the ratio of unsupervised vehicles would increase over time. ### What changes is Tesla preparing in the app? (whbl.com) Teslarati reported on May 18 that Tesla is preparing Robotaxi app version 26.4.5, citing a decompiled build posted by Tesla App Updates on X. The report said the update includes remote operator voice calls, proactive remote assistance and functions tied to steering-wheel-less Cybercab operations, including manual override and remote start at very low speeds. (cnbc.com) Tesla’s own Robotaxi page says Cybercab rides will come later, but it does not give a launch date. For now, the most concrete next steps visible publicly are the existing Texas service listed on Tesla’s site and the app changes reported by Teslarati on May 18. (tesla.com) (teslarati.com)