Elon Musk just announced Houston as a launch city for his autonomous ride service. Here’s what’s available now.
HOUSTON — Tesla Robotaxis are now operating on Houston streets, marking the latest push by an autonomous vehicle company into the city after Waymo launched its own driverless service back in February.
CEO Elon Musk made the announcement online over the weekend. A video posted to the Robotaxi social media page offered a look inside one of the vehicles as rides launched in both Houston and Dallas.
But don’t go looking for one just anywhere. The service is not widely available and is currently limited to the northwest side of Houston, running along Fairbanks North Houston to FM 1960, between Highway 290 and Highway 249. That puts the operating zone basically in the Jersey Village and Willowbrook area.
Riders can book a trip through the Robotaxi app. There’s no word yet on when the service might expand to other parts of the city.
Houston is becoming something of a proving ground for autonomous ride services. Waymo, the self-driving spinoff from Alphabet (Google), rolled out in the city earlier this year in February. Tesla’s entry means Houstonians now have two driverless options competing for their rides, at least in the areas where each service operates.
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