Watch: Passengers take Tesla’s first Robotaxi rides

Tesla’s long-teased robotaxi dream is now a limited reality — and early users are offering the first glimpses from inside the driverless Model Y rides now operating in Austin, Texas.

Over the weekend, Tesla quietly launched its autonomous ride-hailing service with a fleet of 10 self-driving Model Y electric SUVs. The service, which is currently invite-only, is running within a geofenced area of South Austin, and passengers are sharing their experiences via videos posted to social media.

Here’s what the first videos reveal:

Each vehicle has a Tesla “Safety Monitor” riding shotgun — not to drive, but to intervene if needed. The actual driver’s seat? Unoccupied.
A rear-seat tablet shows a live map of the ride, the selected destination, and the estimated time of arrival — just like Uber, but without the small talk.

Early riders report slow, deliberate driving behavior. Turns are wide, stops are frequent, and the car avoids aggressive lane changes. It’s very clearly playing it safe, which makes sense in a public-facing debut.