Tesla to Launch Driverless Ride-Sharing Service in Austin by June, Says Musk
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has announced that his company will introduce a driverless ride-sharing service in Austin, Texas, starting in June. Speaking on a reporting call on Wednesday, Musk stated that the service will operate using Tesla’s own fleet of vehicles, entirely without human drivers. The cars will rely on Tesla’s “unsupervised” Full Self-Driving (FSD) software, which has yet to be released commercially, TechCrunch reports.
Musk further revealed that the FSD software will be deployed in various regions across the U.S., including California, later this year. However, Tesla vehicle owners will not be able to integrate their personal cars into the ride-hailing network before 2026.
He described 2025 as “the most important year in Tesla’s history.”
Previously, in October 2024, Musk first hinted at this autonomous taxi service while unveiling Tesla’s “CyberCab” prototype. At the time, he indicated that the initial rollout in Texas and California would involve Tesla’s Model Y and Model 3 vehicles in 2025.
A recent Bloomberg report stated that Tesla is currently in discussions with Austin city officials to facilitate the project’s implementation.
Musk emphasized that the rollout would be gradual, beginning with a limited test phase before expanding in stages. However, he did not provide details on how Tesla plans to ensure the safety of the technology.
