- Those who are located in Austin from San Fran’s Bay area
- Android users are supported at a later time
- Tesla extends Robotaxi Service Area but puts security driver in the driver’s seat
Tesla has taken to Elon Musk’s X Social Media Platform To announce the fact that its Robotaxi -smartphone -App has now been opened to anyone with an Apple iPhone as the project moves beyond a carefully curated list of VIPs and trusted Tesla -Earlier Adoptters to the wider public.
Fresh from the back of the latest news that the company again expanded its presence in Austin, Texas by increasing the size of its geofented operating area and adding more cars to the fleet, Tesla says the riding-hailing app is now open to the public.
Currently, all iPhone users in the US can download the app and sign up to join a waiting list. But it is unclear how long it will take before users can hail a trip, whether the service extends beyond Austin to San Francisco or how many vehicles the business is currently running.
So far, Tesla has only announced that it has increased the number of cars available by 50%, according to An X -post in August this year.
Tesla also says Android users will be able to download a dedicated Robotaxi app in the coming months.
Security in the driver’s seat
Opening the app to the public is clearly an indicator that Tesla is serious about quickly expanding its service, but the company has been particularly cage over figures and results.
Now Tesla has expanded its operating area beyond slow streets in the cities to faster sections on the highway, it has clearly considered it necessary to have an operator in the hot seat if they are to take over under faster and more dangerous sections of the road.
As Electrek points out, Tesla Robotaxi is just a “larger scale fully self -driving (FSD) demonstration trip” right now, rather than a truly autonomous taxi service.
If you want one of them, it is best to download the Waymo app as it has more than 2,000 fully autonomous vehicles operating in six major cities and regions of the US … without anyone behind the wheel.
