Tesla’s Robotaxi Service in Dallas and Houston Faces Challenges
Over the weekend, Tesla made headlines by claiming to have launched a robotaxi service in Dallas and Houston. However, online crowdsourcing tools are indicating that very few cars are actually available for this service.
As of Sunday evening, Robotaxi Tracker reported that the service was largely unavailable in both cities. While there were brief moments of availability on Sunday afternoon and evening, by Monday morning, the service was listed as “unavailable.” In comparison, Tesla’s robotaxi service in Austin showed 46 vehicles available. The service areas in Dallas and Houston are relatively small, covering 31 square miles and 25 square miles, respectively.
It’s common for robotaxi operators to start with a small fleet in a new city before expanding. Waymo, for example, also launched in Dallas and Houston with only a few vehicles. The Alphabet-owned company currently has 16 vehicles in Dallas and one robotaxi in Houston.
Despite the potential for rapid changes if more vehicles are deployed, the rocky start and timing of this launch, just days before Tesla’s first-quarter earnings report on Wednesday, has raised suspicions of another stock pump.
This wouldn’t be the first time Tesla announced robotaxi news prior to an earnings report. A similar situation occurred with the launch of unsupervised rides in Austin before the Q4 earnings, resulting in a temporary stock surge that later dissipated after the earnings report revealed declining revenue and profits.
Safety concerns also linger around Tesla’s robotaxi service. Reports of 14 crashes involving Tesla’s robotaxis since its launch last year have raised questions. Unlike other operators, Tesla withholds key details about these incidents, making it challenging to assess their severity.
Early reactions to Tesla’s new service in Dallas have not helped alleviate these concerns. @TexasTSLA shared a video over the weekend showing an unsupervised Tesla robotaxi mistakenly entering a freeway, prompting a remote operator to intervene and find a safe place to pull over.

