Tesla Inc. officially commenced its unsupervised Robotaxi service in Dallas and Houston on April 20, 2026, significantly expanding its autonomous ride-hailing operations within the state of Texas. The launch follows the company’s initial unsupervised deployment in Austin and represents the first phase of a broader seven-city expansion plan outlined during Tesla’s Q4 2025 shareholder update.
The service utilizes Tesla’s Model Y fleet, equipped with the latest Full Self-Driving hardware. Unlike previous pilot programs in other regions that required a human safety monitor, the Dallas and Houston operations are unsupervised from inception. Official video released by the company’s Robotaxi account on X showcased vehicles navigating suburban and urban environments with no occupants in the front seats. CEO Elon Musk confirmed the rollout via social media, inviting residents to test the service as it becomes available in their respective neighborhoods.
In Dallas, the initial geofenced service area covers approximately 30 to 35 square miles, centered on the urban core and the Highland Park neighborhood. The Houston service area is more compact, spanning roughly 12 to 15 square miles in a triangular zone encompassing Jersey Village and Willowbrook. Tesla has indicated that these geofences are expected to expand as the fleet gathers more localized data, following a similar trajectory to the Austin rollout, which grew from an initial 20 square miles to over 240 square miles within ten months.
Pricing for the new service is positioned competitively against existing ride-hailing platforms. According to Tesla’s official website, the introductory fare structure in these Texas markets consists of a $3.25 base fee plus $1.00 per mile. Early user data from the first 48 hours of operation showed a 2.25-mile trip in Dallas costing approximately $6.15, a figure the company presents as a benchmark for its goal of low-cost autonomous transport.
The service is accessible via a dedicated Robotaxi tab within the Tesla mobile application. The app allows users to customize their experience before the vehicle arrives, including pre-setting climate controls, seat positions, and music preferences. Operating hours for the new Texas hubs are currently set from 6:00 a.m. to 2:00 a.m. daily.
The timing of the launch precedes Tesla’s Q1 2026 earnings call, scheduled for April 22. The company previously committed to launching Robotaxi services in Phoenix, Miami, Orlando, Tampa, and Las Vegas by mid-2026. Regulatory conditions in Texas have facilitated this scaling; the company operates under a state-wide license acquired in 2025, supported by autonomous vehicle legislation passed by the Texas legislature in 2017.
Initial data from third-party tracking tools suggests a measured start for the fleet. Availability in Dallas and Houston was reported at approximately 0% to 2% during the first day of the rollout, with only a few active vehicles detected in each market. This deployment strategy mirrors the company’s previous launches, prioritizing system stability as the AI vision technology adapts to new metropolitan environments.