Tesla announced on X that its Robotaxis have begun offering rides in a section of Miami just in time for the holiday weekend. For Tesla, Florida is just the third state for the autonomous ride-sharing service.
The geofenced area in Miami that Tesla has launched in is about 10 to 14 square miles, reports said. It includes parts of western and central Miami, such as Miami International Airport, and parts of SR 826 (Palmetto Expressway), US 41 (Tamiami Trail), and connectors such as SR 968, 953, 959, and 972, Reuters reported. The initial launch area prioritizes high-traffic, airport-linked routes before wider expansion. The rides are reportedly unsupervised, no safety driver aboard. For now, the Tesla’s Model Y cars are being used for the unsupervised rides.
The Tesla Robotaxi network launched last year on June 22, in Austin, where is began limited commercial operations in that Texas city. It expanded shortly thereafter into the San Francisco Bay Area in late July 2025, marking entry into a second state with service covering key areas including San Jose and Berkeley. Full commercial service arrived in Austin in November 2025, and then Tesla continued to expand in Texas with launches in Dallas, Houston and San Antonio this year.
✓
Check your inbox for a confirmation email.
Miami’s launch – though limited so far – marks Tesla’s third state and the news was forecast in a November announcement that Miami would be one of its next five launch cities. Among future markets, Orlando and Tampa are on the roadmap, along with Phoenix and Las Vegas, but Tesla is facing fast-moving competition.
Most recently, Alphabet’s Waymo launched service in Miami in April to everyone. Prior to April, Waymo’s service was available to a limited number of people. Also in April, Waymo announced it would include highway rides.
Zoox, owned by Amazon, announced its plans in March to begin testing its purpose-built robotaxis with riders in Miami and Austin, as well as expanding service in San Francisco and Las Vegas; but has not rolled out regular service in the Magic City yet.
Uber announced that it has partnered with electric car maker Rivian Automotive to deploy robotaxis in Miami and San Francisco in 2028.
READ MORE IN REFRESH MIAMI:
I am a writer and editor with extensive media experience and a passion for journalism and serving the community. Most of my career has been spent with the Miami Herald in business news, and my expertise is writing about tech and entrepreneurs. I love hosting this blog for Refresh Miami and we aim to be the go-to site for South Florida startup and tech news, features and views. Have news? Contact me at ndahlbergbiz@gmail.com. Thanks for reading!
Latest posts by Nancy Dahlberg (see all) Welcome, Tesla! Its robotaxis are rolling in Miami – well, at least part of it – July 3, 2026 10+ things to know in #MiamiTech: News from Comp AI,Mission Space, Securitize, Félix, OKY, Origis Energy, Powerus, Ondas, Safe Pro, a handful of movers and shakers & more – June 29, 2026 8+ things to know in #MiamiTech: News about Ken Griffin, Exowatt, FAU, Hut 8, CodePath, LEBUC, job opportunities & more – June 21, 2026