Tesla has begun offering paid driver-less rides in Austin, Texas, launching a long-promised robotaxi service that chief executive officer Elon Musk describes as the culmination of a decade of internal work on autonomous driving technology. The limited start on 22 June is the first time the carmaker’s vehicles have carried fare-paying passengers without a driver behind the wheel. The pilot relies on about ten camera-only Model Y sport-utility vehicles that operate inside a tightly defined area of south and central Austin between 6 a.m. and midnight. Rides are invitation-only and cost a flat $4.20, regardless of distance. Each vehicle carries a Tesla employee in the front passenger seat as a safety monitor and can be overseen remotely, according to company materials and eyewitness accounts. Musk has said the same software could be downloaded to millions of existing Teslas and predicts wide-scale deployment as early as 2026. Analysts are sceptical, noting that rivals such as Alphabet’s Waymo needed years to build a 1,500-vehicle fleet and that Tesla’s camera-only approach must still master complex traffic situations. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is already examining incidents involving Tesla’s Full Self-Driving system, and a new Texas law will require autonomous-vehicle operators to secure state permits from 1 September. Investors welcomed the milestone: Tesla shares rose 8.2 % to $348.68 on 23 June. Whether the small-scale rollout can be scaled safely and profitably will be critical for a company whose lofty valuation increasingly hinges on robotaxis and forthcoming humanoid robots rather than its established electric-vehicle lineup.