Tesla robotaxi service launches in Miami

Key facts

• Tesla announced its robotaxi service is now available in Miami, Florida.
• The expansion follows Tesla's earlier launch of the service in Austin, Texas, in June.
• Tesla plans to introduce the service in Dallas and Houston.
• CEO Elon Musk anticipates widespread adoption of fully self-driving cars without safety monitors in the U.S. this year.
• Miami is one of five new U.S. cities identified for upcoming robotaxi launches, alongside Las Vegas, Phoenix, Dallas, and Houston.
• Tesla will begin production of its Cybercab, a two-person autonomous vehicle, in April at its Austin factory.

Tesla has expanded its autonomous ride-hailing operations by launching its robotaxi service in Miami, Florida. The company announced the availability of its robotaxi in Miami on X, highlighting its efforts to increase the adoption of its self-driving software.

This move positions Tesla in direct competition with established robotaxi players like Alphabet's Waymo and Amazon's Zoox, both of which are also accelerating their expansion efforts and testing services in Miami. Waymo, which already operates in several U.S. cities, plans a broader rollout in Miami in 2026. Robotaxi startup Argo AI has also launched operations in the city, and Zoox is testing its service there.

Tesla previously launched its unsupervised robotaxi service in Austin, Texas, in June and had announced plans to expand to Dallas and Houston. CEO Elon Musk has expressed expectations for fully self-driving cars without human safety monitors to become more common in the U.S. later this year. During a recent shareholder meeting, Tesla announced that Miami, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Dallas, and Houston would be among the next five cities to receive the robotaxi service. Musk also indicated that Tesla would begin producing its Cybercab, a two-person autonomous electric vehicle designed specifically for robotaxi use, in April at its Austin factory. He also mentioned that existing Tesla EV owners could potentially add their vehicles to the Robotaxi fleet.

While Tesla has completed over 40,000 rides in California, Waymo recorded over 700,000 rides in March alone, indicating a significant lead for Waymo in terms of operational scale. Florida currently requires a safety driver to be present in autonomous vehicles, a regulation that Tesla's service will need to adhere to.