Tesla has taken a major step forward in its autonomous ride-hailing rollout, quietly expanding access to its Robotaxi service to a much wider group of users this morning.
Reports began surfacing early Tuesday that both the Robotaxi service in Austin and Tesla’s ride-hailing program in the Bay Area are now available to far more people than before — including brand-new Tesla app users who say they were granted access right away.
Drive Tesla was first to report on X about the expansion after we received access through the Robotaxi app. In response, even more reports poured in, indicating this wasn’t a small-scale test but a significant broadening of Tesla’s autonomous ride service.
BREAKING: @Tesla has opened up @robotaxi access to more users this morning.
— Drive Tesla (@DriveTeslaca) November 18, 2025
We now have the ability to book a ride, and have received reports from several others they also have been granted access.
Go check your app and let us know if you are also now in! pic.twitter.com/xgAil66MLr
What makes today’s development particularly noteworthy is the scale. Users across Canada and the United States have reported receiving access in their apps, suggesting Tesla is preparing for a much larger Robotaxi push than previously anticipated. While full autonomous service remains geographically limited — with Austin as the primary Robotaxi launch market — the ability to access the service in the app appears to be rolling out much more broadly.
This morning’s expansion fits neatly with Elon Musk’s broader plan to bring Robotaxi service to a long list of new markets before the end of next year. In comments made earlier this year, Musk said Tesla is preparing for “autonomous ride-hailing in probably half the population of the US by the end of the year,” outlining a roadmap that includes launching Robotaxi in 8 to 10 additional metropolitan areas by late 2025.
He also reiterated that the company expects to “have no safety drivers in at least large parts of Austin by the end of this year,” setting the stage for wider deployment as the software matures and regulators sign off. Cities such as Phoenix, Las Vegas, Dallas, Houston, and Miami have already appeared in Tesla job postings tied to the Robotaxi program, signaling where the company is likely to expand next.
The second part of the expansion beyond adding more users is also adding more vehicles to handle the extra load. The number of Tesla vehicles operating as robotaxis in Austin and the Bay Area is limited, but Musk has said recently he hopes to have 500 cars in Austin and 1,000 in the Bay Area before the end of the year.
For now, Tesla owners — and even non-owners — should open the Tesla Robotaxi app and see if the option has appeared for Austin and the Bay Area.
Have you received Robotaxi or ride-hailing access? Let us know.
