Tesla has officially secured a rideshare license in Texas, giving the company the regulatory green light to operate its autonomous Robotaxi service under the state’s updated transportation rules — reports Bloomberg.
According to the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR), Tesla Robotaxi LLC is now listed as a licensed transportation network company, alongside established players like Uber and Lyft.
The license comes ahead of a new Texas law taking effect on September 1, which regulates autonomous rideshare operations the same way as human-driven services. The policy also introduces new requirements, including permitting, oversight, and ensuring that autonomous vehicles are equipped with cameras, carry proper insurance, and comply with all traffic laws.
Tesla began piloting its autonomous rideshare service in Austin back in June using a small fleet of Model Y vehicles, each supervised by safety monitors in the front passenger’s seat and offered to a limited pool of riders. Over the past weekend, the company expanded the service’s geofenced area deeper into South Austin, signaling growing confidence in the system’s capabilities.
Earlier this week, a Tesla Robotaxi validation vehicle was also spotted in Georgetown, Texas, roughly 30 miles north of Austin. This suggests Tesla is testing beyond its current service area — possibly in preparation for a larger regional rollout.
The Texas approval arrives as Tesla is reportedly eyeing additional Robotaxi launches in multiple U.S. cities, including Brooklyn, NY; Houston and Farmers Branch, TX; Tempe, AZ; Henderson, NV; Tampa, Clermont, and Miami, FL; and Palo Alto, CA.
With its Texas rideshare license secured and testing ramping up both in and beyond Austin (not to mention a human safety driver-backed service in the San Francisco Bay Area), Tesla appears to be laying the groundwork for a broader Robotaxi debut across the state and in other key U.S. markets.
