Robotaxi Atlas

Areas are approximate, traced Oct 13, 2026 from operators' published maps. The app has the exact boundary. The white line is a sample trip on real streets.
Approximate areas. Check the app. © OpenStreetMap

Can I ride a robotaxi in Austin?

Waymo has run public driverless rides here since Mar 4, 2025, booked through the Uber app. Tesla Robotaxi followed on Jun 22, 2025. Neither serves Austin-Bergstrom International Airport yet.

Status
Driverless
Operators
Tesla Robotaxi, Waymo
Book in
Tesla Robotaxi and Uber apps
Last checked

Operators in Austin

  • Tesla Robotaxi
    Driverless

    Since Jun 22, 2025: invite-only launch with a safety monitor in the front passenger seat. Unsupervised rides began Jan 22, 2026. Book in: Tesla Robotaxi app.

    Ages: 18 and older to book or ride alone. Riders aged 8 to 17 can take a Model Y Robotaxi with an adult, never alone. Cybercab rides are for ages 13 and up with an adult, and no one under 8 can ride.

  • Waymo
    Driverless

    Since Mar 4, 2025: Waymo on Uber opened to public riders. Book in: Uber app.

    Ages: 18 and older to ride alone, with no teen accounts offered here.

  • Zoox
    Safety driver

    Since Mar 24, 2026: Zoox deployed purpose-built robotaxis with employee riders. Book in: Zoox app.

Where the cars go

Waymo's Austin zone began at 37 sq mi around Hyde Park, Downtown and Montopolis and has grown since. It now reaches the Domain in the north and Manchaca in the south, with MoPac and Sunset Valley on the west side and US-183 on the east, past Windsor Park and Montopolis down to McKinney Falls. The outline drawn here is rough, sized to a reported 140 sq mi. Austin-Bergstrom International Airport sits outside it.

Tesla covers a bigger area, though reported sizes conflict (246 to 288 sq mi). It runs from Tech Ridge and Pflugerville in the north, after an Aug 2026 extension along I-35 and US-183, south to Del Valle and McKinney Falls, east to SH-130 and west to West Lake Hills. The mapped Tesla outline takes in the airport grounds, but Tesla lists no airport pickup. Zoox stays in one high-demand zone south of central Austin, which Electrek called 'a tiny portion' of the city.

What to know in Austin

Waymo is booked only through Uber in Austin, so the city doesn't show up in the Waymo app. Since Sep 24, 2026, select Uber trips can use MoPac, I-35, US 183 and US 290, as reported by Spectrum News, though not every trip does. The Next Web reported that Waymo plans its own app here in Jan 2028.

Austin is where Tesla's program started, on an invite-only basis with a monitor in the front passenger seat. Unsupervised rides began Jan 22, 2026, but the fleet is mixed: some Model Y cars run with no monitor and others still carry one. On freeway routes, a Tesla safety driver sits in the driver's seat. Cybercab rides were added on Sep 3, 2026 in the same Robotaxi app, and TechCrunch reported that NHTSA opened an audit query (AQ26002) the next day into how Tesla self-certified the Cybercab.

What a ride costs

  • Tesla RobotaxiAt launch, Musk said rides cost a flat $4.20. On Mar 7, 2026, the base fare reportedly rose from $1 to $3.25 plus $1 per mile. By about Mar 11, 2026, The Driven reported a $3.00 base plus $1.40 per mile.
  • WaymoNo published rate for Austin. The app shows the price before you book.

Airport

  • AUSAustin-Bergstrom International Airport

    Waymo: Not served. Not on Waymo's airport list.

How to ride in Austin

Tesla Robotaxi

Book in the Tesla Robotaxi app.

Waymo

Waymo rides here are booked in the Uber app, not in a separate Waymo app.

In each app, set your pickup and drop-off inside the service area. You see the price before you confirm.

Step-by-step guide to riding a robotaxi

Rules that apply here

  • Texas rules: Under SB 2807 (2025), companies running commercial automated vehicles in Texas must hold an active TxDMV authorization. The rule applies from May 28, 2026, and TxDMV announced enforcement on Jun 2, 2026.

Timeline

  1. Waymo adds freeway trips on MoPac, I-35, US 183 and US 290 for select Uber rides in Austin. Reported. Source
  2. NHTSA opens audit query AQ26002 into how Tesla self-certified the Cybercab to federal safety standards. Reported. Source
  3. Tesla starts Cybercab rides in Austin, bookable in the Robotaxi app. Source
  4. Waymo will end Uber exclusivity in Austin and Atlanta and launch its own app there in Jan 2028. The fleet stays on Uber through at least May 2028. Reported. Source
  5. NHTSA opens a preliminary evaluation of Avride after 16 crashes in Dallas and Austin. Source
  6. Zoox starts employee rides in Austin and Miami and announces a San Francisco service area 4 times larger. Source
  7. Tesla raises the Austin Robotaxi base fare from $1 to $3.25, plus $1 a mile. Source
  8. Tesla begins some Robotaxi rides in Austin with no safety monitor. Source
  9. Tesla expands its Austin area to about 173 sq mi including freeways, with a safety driver in the driver's seat on freeway routes. Source
  10. Tesla launches invite-only Robotaxi in Austin at a flat $4.20 with safety monitors. Source
  11. Waymo rides launch on the Uber app in Austin, covering 37 sq mi. Source

Austin robotaxi questions

Do you need the Uber app for Waymo in Austin?

Waymo rides in Austin are booked only through the Uber app and don't appear in the Waymo app. A report by The Next Web says Waymo plans to launch its own app in Austin in Jan 2028.

Can kids ride Tesla Robotaxi in Austin?

Riders must be 18 to book or ride Tesla Robotaxi alone in Austin, and riders aged 8 to 17 may ride in a Model Y Robotaxi with an adult. Cybercab sets a higher floor: riders must be 13 or older and travel with an adult. Children under 8 cannot ride.

How much does Tesla Robotaxi cost in Austin?

Tesla launched in Austin at a flat $4.20 per ride. On Mar 7, 2026 two outlets reported the base fare rose from $1 to $3.25 plus $1 per mile, and The Driven later reported $3.00 plus $1.40 per mile (single source).

Does Waymo serve Austin-Bergstrom airport?

Austin-Bergstrom International Airport is absent from Waymo's help-center airport list, and the mapped Waymo area stops short of it.

Can the public ride Zoox in Austin?

Zoox in Austin carries only employees and their friends and family, and those rides are free. Public access through the Zoox Explorers program is planned for later in 2026.

Sources

  1. KTVU FOX 2: Musk launches Tesla AI robotaxi in Austin with flat fees under $5, Jun 23, 2025
  2. Transport Topics / Bloomberg: Tesla Robotaxi rides without safety monitors begin in Austin (Bloomberg), Jan 22, 2026
  3. Not a Tesla App: Tesla Raises Robotaxi Base Fare, Mar 7, 2026
  4. Tesla North: Tesla Robotaxi Prices Jump in Austin, Mar 7, 2026
  5. The Driven: Tesla lifts robotaxi prices by up to 40 pct less than a year after launch, Mar 17, 2026
  6. electrive: Tesla debuts Cybercab autonomous rides, Sep 4, 2026
  7. FOX 7 Austin: Tesla launches Cybercab in Austin, Sep 3, 2026
  8. Tesla: Robotaxi Rider Rules
  9. TechCrunch: No little kids allowed, and other new info about Tesla's Cybercab, Sep 4, 2026
  10. Teslarati: Tesla adjusts Robotaxi safety monitor strategy in Austin with new service area, Sep 2, 2025
  11. EV (eletric-vehicles.com): Tesla Rolls Out Robotaxi on Austin Freeways With Safety Operator in Driver's Seat, Sep 2, 2025
  12. Waymo Help Center: Service areas - Waymo Help
  13. Uber: Waymo on Uber Austin, Mar 4, 2025
  14. Spectrum News: Waymo expands fully autonomous freeway rides in Austin, Sep 24, 2026
  15. CBS Austin: Zoox robotaxis begin next stage of testing in Austin, Mar 24, 2026
  16. Electrek: Zoox expands current service area and is bringing its purpose-built robotaxi to two new cities, Mar 24, 2026
  17. TechCrunch: Zoox to start charging for robotaxi rides in Las Vegas, Aug 5, 2026

"Reported" means one news report that the operator or a regulator hasn't confirmed yet.

Last checked . Something changed? Report a change.

Get the weekly update

Every launch, pause and new service area from the past week, with sources. One email on Mondays.