With unmatched levels of innovation, Tesla is stepping into the future of fully autonomous transportation amid the launch of its much-hyped Robotaxi service that is granting early access testing to customers on June 22 in Austin, Texas. The firm has gone ahead and initiated the issuance of exclusive invites to a few select persons, marking the beginning of what might be the most transformative advancements in personal transport since the discovery of the automobile.
It will be available through a new app dedicated to Robotaxi, different than the current one used to manage the ownership of Tesla vehicles. The Robotaxi app, according to Tesla, will feature a convenient user interface in which ride hunters will be able to book a fully autonomous Tesla car, monitor its arrival, and tailor the ride experience using the interface.
A New Era in Transport
Tesla has been working on its Robotaxi program for several years, relying on an in-house Dojo supercomputing system and the proprietary Full Self-Driving (FSD) software, which teaches the AI models behind its autonomy stack.
Austin is a city that is technology-friendly and developing very fast, thus a good place for Robotaxi. The rollout could occur within the ideal environment since Tesla Gigafactory Texas is located slightly out of the city boundaries and is surrounded by people who know their way around the latest and greatest in terms of technology. If you’re from California, then you’re in luck, as California also gets the green light for Robotaxi.
BREAKING: I have been invited to ride in Tesla’s Model Y Robotaxis on day one this Sunday in Austin, Texas!
IT’S GO TIME BABY!!! pic.twitter.com/FGzG8oW9El
— Sawyer Merritt (@SawyerMerritt) June 20, 2025
How the Robotaxi App Works
It is this weekend that the new Robotaxi app will be available on the major app stores, offering invited users in the Austin area to download the new app. Once they open the application, they are able to enter a destination and a place of landing. A Tesla car located nearby will be sent to them, an autonomous car, most likely, a modified Model 3 or Model Y.
The mobile application will give live tracking of the ETA and trip of the vehicle. Based on screenshots presented on social networks by early invitees, users will also be able to adjust climatic conditions, tune music, and even turn on a quiet or sociable ride mode according to mood or activity.
Tesla has assured that every vehicle in the first access fleet is fully electric, upgraded to the latest version of its FSD software (v12.5+), which has no need for remote human involvement.
Supervision and Protection
It is important to understand that Tesla states its vehicles are fully autonomous; however, the company clarified that human supervision is still going to be important in the initial access stage. These rides will be constantly monitored and will be taken over by a human being in case something unexpected happens.
During the first weeks, Tesla engineers are going to pay close attention to every trip to understand possible problems, to obtain feedback, and to repeat software upgrades. The duration of staying in the early access stage remains to be seen, but industry experts think it will go on at least till summer, after which there will be a wider rollout.
What’s Next?
In case the program with Robotaxi proves effective in Austin, then Tesla has plans to offer the service to other U.S. cities by the end of the year. The costs have not been revealed yet, although Musk has once said that Robotaxi rides may become even cheaper than bus rides in the long-term perspective, because there will be no human operator to pay salaries, and operation expenses will be lower.
The implication of having a mass-market Robotaxi service is enormous. It has the potential to transform city planning, lower the number of car owners, and transform commuting, in particular, in congested cities.
