Tesla Starts Robotaxi Service in San Antonio at 5 a.m. Central on November 9

Tesla has opened its Robotaxi service in San Antonio, with the official account saying rides would be available from 5 a.m. Central on November 9.

The company posted a launch-geofence map of central and north San Antonio but did not say how many vehicles would run the city, which models would be used, or what hours and fares would apply.

Tesla sets a Monday start time and posts a San Antonio launch map

The official Robotaxi account wrote, “Robotaxi available in San Antonio starting tomorrow, 5am,” just after midnight Central on November 9, and attached a map labeled “Launch geofence.” When a user asked whether that meant the same morning or the following day, the account replied, “Monday.”

Rides were therefore set to begin at 5 a.m. Central on Monday, November 9, according to Tesla’s Robotaxi account.

The official map shades a single service area over central San Antonio, stretching north toward Loop 1604, with downtown sitting toward the southern end of the zone. Tesla did not publish a street-by-street boundary, a square-mileage figure or a list of places inside the geofence.

Aside from that start time and the map, the company did not add operating rules in the same posts. It did not say whether trips must begin and end inside the shaded area, or whether the zone will stay as drawn after the first day of service.

Tesla did not disclose fleet size, vehicle type or fares

The posts did not say whether San Antonio rides would use the Model Y, the two-seat Cybercab, or both, and they did not mention how many vehicles would be in service, what they would cost, when they would run or whether a safety monitor would be in the car.

Tesla also did not say how riders would request a trip, whether the launch was limited to a smaller group, or how the San Antonio service would be staffed. Anything beyond the start time and the map would be speculation.

Tonya Hope, speaking for San Antonio International Airport, told Axios that Waymo already has permission for airport pickups and drop-offs there, and that Tesla does not have that permission yet. Tesla has not addressed airport trips in its own posts.

Waymo already offers robotaxi rides in San Antonio

San Antonio is not a new city for paid robotaxi rides. Axios reports that Waymo is already operating there and is the only other service of that kind in the city. TechCrunch, in its account of the Tesla launch, also places Waymo in Austin, Dallas and Houston.

TechCrunch reports that Tesla already runs Robotaxi trips in parts of Austin, and in Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, Miami and Orlando. Tesla’s San Antonio posts do not compare the new service area or fleet with those earlier markets, and they do not describe how quickly the company plans to grow the zone.

As of this article, those two official posts remain Tesla’s public description of the San Antonio launch. They confirm a Monday, November 9, 5 a.m. Central start and show a launch map. They do not confirm the vehicle type, the number of cars, fares, hours or airport access.

EV.com tracks the evolving EV collector space and performance electric vehicles hitting the market. Explore our listings to find the best EVs in your area available today.