Tesla Robotaxi opens to public in September as Texas grants rideshare license

Members of the public will be able to order Tesla’s Robotaxi in Texas starting in September as the service continues to expand. The automaker has scaled one of the remaining hurdles by acquiring a rideshare license.

Tesla launched the autonomous taxi service as an invite-only beta, allowing users to download the app from the App Store and order a ride. However, company CEO Elon Musk revealed in a post on X that Robotaxi will become open access from next month. He was responding to another post, wondering why Tesla still restricted the service after many videos showed the launch had been a success.

Tesla has established a new business entity, Tesla Robotaxi LLC, classified as a transportation network company (TNC). The subsidiary has been granted a rideshare operator license by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, meaning Tesla is now on equal footing with companies such as Uber, Lyft, and Waymo.

Tesla needed a license to remain compliant with a new regulatory framework that takes effect from September. The upcoming regulation compels autonomous rideshare operators to meet the same requirements as traditional taxi services.

The Robotaxi service has seen significant improvement since its launch in July. Musk stated that the autonomous platform uses a more advanced Full-Self Driving (FSD) version than the regular Teslas on the road. The company also introduced smarter pickups and dynamic pricing.