Overview
- Reporters who tried Tesla’s new robotaxi service in Dallas and Houston found a beta-level rollout with long waits, spotty availability, and drop-offs far from the destination.
- In Dallas, a five-mile trip from Southern Methodist University to City Hall took nearly two hours as the car avoided the main freeway and ended at a parking lot a 15-minute walk away.
- Another Dallas ride missed a left turn four times near a tricky intersection until a remote attendant intervened, underscoring limits in the system’s decision-making.
- In Houston, a tester completed one ride, then saw a second booking canceled and no cars available for 30 minutes, which led her to switch to Uber.
- In Austin, city slides show about 50 Tesla vehicles and some rides still using safety monitors, while Tesla has reported 15 crashes to U.S. regulators since August and sought to redact details; separate tracker data shows roughly one driverless car active in Dallas and three in Houston.