Tesla Starts Ride Hailing Tests With Employees in San Francisco, Austin Using FSD Supervised

Massive efforts are now ramping up from Tesla in preparation for their robotaxi launch this summer as the company is now rolling out its ride-hailing program's tests in different US cities.

The company already received the ride-hailing permit to operate its services in California, but since it is only in its testing phase, only its employees are eligible to take advantage of the service in San Francisco.

Next, Tesla has also launched its ride-hail services with employees over at its home base, Austin, Texas, with the company set to test out the capabilities, parameters, and other aspects of its robotaxi in the area.

Tesla Starts Ride-Hailing Tests in SF, Austin

Tesla revealed via their latest post on X that it is now beginning its ride-hailing service for its robotaxi program, and instead of only having it only in California's San Francisco, the company also revealed a new city for its operations.

According to Tesla, it is also launching its ride hailing service over in Austin, Texas, best known as the company's current home and base of operations.

Since beginning its testing phase for the self-driving service, the company has already completed over 1,500 trips, with over 15,000 miles of driving for the autonomous ride hailing experience.

Apart from being able to test out the ride-hailing capabilities of its service, including its car and app, the company also revealed that its current setup helps them "develop & validate FSD networks," its vehicle allocation, and other aspects of its operations.

Tesla FSD Supervised Powers Ride Hailing

Moreover, Tesla also shared that its FSD Supervised technology is what powers the ride-hailing service that is now up and running in San Francisco and Austin, and this is also known as the technology that is available on its EVs.

The video shows how the ride-hailing process is meant to work, and it starts with booking a trip on the Tesla app. Users would also be given route updates if their vehicle is on the way, and upon entering the robotaxi, users would have to "Start Ride" to begin the trip.

Tesla Robotaxi Is Ramping Up This 2025

Last year, Elon Musk and Tesla dropped hints about their upcoming robotaxi services, and they previously confirmed that come August, they would have already launched the new vehicles and experiences.

However, the company faced a delay in its development of the car prototypes which led to them rescheduling the event by October, now known as the "We, Robot."

Despite the months-long delay, Tesla has launched its new robotaxi known as the Cybercab, alongside the RoboVan. Musk previously claimed that they are ramping up its availability and previously targeted 2025 to deliver the robotaxi experiences to the public, which they can hail directly from the Tesla app.

Since then, Musk and Tesla revealed that the robotaxi program is already well underway, with exclusive testing already commencing as early as October last year but is only available for employees.

Originally published on Tech Times