Tesla Opens Unsupervised Robotaxi Rides in San Antonio
Tesla launched unsupervised Robotaxi rides in San Antonio on Nov. 9 with a service area of about 275 square miles, its largest at launch. Key numbers inside.
Tesla began offering unsupervised Robotaxi rides in San Antonio at 5 a.m. CT on Nov. 9, according to Not a Tesla App. Tesla’s Robotaxi account on X announced the launch shortly after midnight.
The advertised service area of roughly 275 square miles is the largest Tesla has opened at launch. San Antonio is the second new Robotaxi city in about a week, after Fort Worth on Nov. 2.
The central numbers
- 275 square miles: the approximate San Antonio service area, slightly larger than Austin’s 272 square miles. Rides in Austin started in June 2025, and that area has grown since.
- Eight: the number of cities with unsupervised Tesla rides, now that San Antonio is added. Their service areas cover about 4.2 million people combined.
- 143 square miles: the Fort Worth area, which launched on Nov. 2. Houston is listed at 254, Dallas at 81, Miami at 31, Orlando at 26 and Tampa at 24.
- 22 to 41 percent: how much smaller Tesla’s real pickup and drop-off zones in Texas are than advertised, according to a recent analysis cited by Not a Tesla App. The zones still cover most residents.
- More than 300: the number of Cybercabs Tesla already runs in Austin, according to the report.
Where the service area reaches
The zone covers all of Downtown San Antonio and nearly everything inside Loop 410, then extends beyond it in most directions. To the north it reaches Loop 1604 between I-10 and US-281, with a small stretch up I-10 past 1604. It runs west past State Highway 151, east beyond I-35, and south below I-410 toward I-37.
San Antonio launched with Model Y vehicles. The advertised sizes are the figures Tesla published, and the analysis of Texas pickup zones was done by a Tesla enthusiast who, per the report, may test San Antonio next.
Why it matters for riders and the Texas market
Texas now holds most of Tesla’s unsupervised markets: Austin, Houston, Dallas, Fort Worth and San Antonio. Residents of those metro areas can request a ride with no one supervising in the vehicle, within each advertised zone. Because real pickup and drop-off areas have been smaller than the maps in other Texas cities, the usable area in San Antonio may differ from the 275 square miles Tesla advertises.
What comes next
On its third-quarter earnings call last month, Tesla named Las Vegas, Phoenix, Jacksonville and San Antonio as its next Robotaxi markets. San Antonio was on that list. Fort Worth was not, and its launch came as a surprise. Las Vegas, Phoenix and Jacksonville have not yet launched.
Cybercab rides are set to start in Dallas this month, the first Cybercab market outside Austin. Tesla has also extended Robotaxi hours in Austin and added Calm Mode, a setting that hides distracting visuals on the touchscreen.
Source: Not a Tesla App
