Tesla extends Bay Area Robotaxi service hours to 2 am amid expansion plans

Tesla's ride-hailing service has now extended its operating hours from midnight to 2 am, meaning rides will be available 20 hours a day, from 6 am to 2 am. The automaker shared the news on its Tesla_AI account on X on September 13.

Prior to this update, people who left late-night events, restaurants, or work shifts couldn’t use Tesla’s service after midnight. By adding more hours, the EV company meets that demand and demonstrates increasing confidence in its Robotaxi system.

The Bay Area Robotaxi service launched in June 2025, shortly after Tesla first deployed it in Austin, Texas. Initially, only Tesla owners and a select few customers were eligible to use it. Now, more people in the Bay Area can use it through Tesla’s mobile app.

The rides work much like Uber or Lyft, but the vehicles are Teslas, fitted with the company’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) system. For now, though, a human safety driver still sits up front in California because state regulations do not yet permit fully driverless cars. As such, every Tesla Robotaxi keeps a driver to step in if the system encounters trouble. This ensures the service remains legal and safe, while Tesla continues to collect data and improve its FSD software.

Tesla's CEO, Elon Musk, has said many times that Tesla’s end goal is for these cars to drive completely on their own with no human driver. The auto company just got approval in Nevada to test cars without safety drivers on public roads. Tesla also wants permission to serve Bay Area airports with the Robotaxi service.