September 16, 2026

Tesla announces new Robotaxi hours, promises improved wait times

Tesla has announced new operating hours for its Robotaxi service in cities where unsupervised robotaxis are available. At the same time, the company says it is increasing the size of its unsupervised fleet, and its technology, to reduce wait times.

In an update shared Wednesday, Tesla said Robotaxi is now available from 6:00 a.m. until 10:00 p.m., seven days per week. While this is the official announcement, the change to operating hours actually occurred earlier this month.

The company also said its “unsupervised fleet is a lot bigger,” although it did not provide an updated vehicle count. Unofficial community trackers however estimate the total number of active vehicles at around 85 across the six metropolitan areas – Austin, Dallas and Houston, Texas, along with Miami, Orlando and Tampa, Florida.

Tesla also revealed it has upgraded the intelligence behind vehicle distribution and routing, allowing the network to more efficiently position vehicles based on demand and, according to the company, reduce how long customers have to wait for a ride.

Bay Area remains different

You might have noticed that Tesla’s announcement didn’t include the Bay Area in California. That is because the company’s opreations in California is technically a ride-hailing service, as they still have a safety driver behind the wheel. This is due to Tesla only holding a permit with the California DMV for autonomous testing with a driver, rather than a driverless deployment permit.

With a safety driver always present, Tesla is able to run its ride-hailing service in the Bay Area from 6:00 a.m. until 2:00 a.m.

From Austin to six cities

Tesla launched its first Robotaxi service in Austin in June 2025, initially with a small fleet of Model Ys and a safety monitor sitting in the front passenger seat. The company began testing fully unsupervised vehicles late last year before opening driverless rides to passengers in January.

The service has expanded since then, with Dallas and Houston joining the network in April, followed by Miami in July and Orlando and Tampa shortly afterward.

Tesla recently said its Robotaxi fleet has now accumulated more than 380,000 miles (611,550 km) of unsupervised driving across the six cities, with the number of autonomous miles being driven each week growing at a double-digit rate. The fleet is also already testing early versions of Tesla’s next-generation FSD v15 software.

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