Serving tech enthusiasts for over 25 years. TechSpot means tech analysis and advice you can trust. Forward-looking: Tesla is gearing up to launch a paid self-driving taxi service in Texas later this year. Speaking during Tesla's Q4 earnings call, CEO Elon Musk expressed confidence that the company will conduct an initial launch of an "unsupervised, no-driver, full self-driving cab service" in Austin by June. Musk stated that the company already operates thousands of autonomous vehicles daily at its Fremont factory and hopes to roll out the robotaxi service commercially within a few months. He also expects unsupervised Full Self-Driving (FSD) software to be available to Tesla owners in California and other regions by the end of the year. Addressing Tesla's decision to launch in just one city initially, Musk explained, "We're… putting our toe in the water gently at first just to make sure everything is cool." He emphasized the company's cautious approach, adding that expansion to other markets will only happen once Tesla is confident in the safety of both passengers and the general public. Musk first announced Tesla's self-driving robotaxi service during a custom Cybertruck prototype launch last year, stating that the company aimed to roll out the service in Texas and California by 2025 using Model Y SUVs and Model 3 sedans. Since then, neither Musk nor Tesla has provided further updates until now. However, a recent Bloomberg report revealed that Tesla has been in discussions with Austin city officials about launching the service. According to the report, Tesla employees have been working with Austin's autonomous vehicle task force since at least May 2024 to address safety concerns. Last October, Musk disclosed that Tesla was testing a robotaxi service in the Bay Area with company employees using an unreleased app; each vehicle had a safety driver onboard. It remains unclear whether Tesla plans to follow a similar approach in Austin before officially launching the service. Tesla has offered FSD features in its vehicles for several years. However, despite its name, the software does not make cars fully autonomous – drivers must remain attentive at all times to ensure safety. That could soon change. Musk recently shared video footage appearing to show Tesla vehicles autonomously navigating from the factory to designated loading dock lanes without human intervention. According to Musk, this demonstration marks a significant step toward achieving true unsupervised self-driving. // Related Stories