Tesla has reportedly secured approval to operate its driverless taxi service across Texas, becoming one of the first companies to obtain formal authorisation under the state’s new autonomous vehicle regime.
On Sunday, the company was spotted testing its Robotaxi in Miami without any safety driver or supervisor on the passenger side.
As of press time, Tesla shares are jumping over 5% and trading at $346.50 after the CEO Elon Musk said the robotaxi service will open to the general public in Austin next month.
The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation has issued a permit to Tesla Robotaxi LLC, allowing it to operate as a licensed transportation network company until August 6, 2026.
According to DriveTeslaCanada, the Elon Musk-led company is now allowed to deploy vehicles without human safety drivers.
The permit was granted ahead of a new Texas law, effective September 1, that brings autonomous vehicle operators — whether human-driven or fully driverless — under a single regulatory framework.
The legislation requires companies to maintain active insurance coverage, install camera systems, and comply with all traffic laws.
A day later, the brand was granted a commercial permit by Texas’ Department of Licencing and Regulation to legally operate its ride-hailing service in the state.
Since late June, the company has expanded the geofenced area of its robotaxi service in Austin and introduced a dynamic pricing system based on distance, replacing the fixed fare structure.
In the latest earnings call in late July, Musk said it expects the service to be expanded to “probably half of the population of the US by the end of the year.”
“We are getting the regulatory permission to launch in the Bay Area, Nevada, Arizona, Florida, and a number of other places,” he stated.
The ride-hailing service was introduced late last month in the Bay Area, California, where autonomous driving faces stricter local regulations.
