Tesla has claimed to have launched robotaxis in Dallas and Houston, but so far, online crowdsourcing tools indicate that very few cars are actually available. The timing of the launch, a few days before Tesla is scheduled to report its first quarter earnings, has led some to speculate that it’s an attempt to boost the company's stock price.

The @TeslaRobotaxi posted a 14-second video of a Model Y vehicle driving without any human safety monitor in the front seats. Elon Musk re-posted the video with the message: “Try Tesla Robotaxi in Dallas & Houston!” However, as of Sunday evening, the service appeared to be largely unavailable according to Robotaxi Tracker. There were brief spikes of availability on Sunday afternoon and evening, but by Monday morning, the service in both cities was listed as “unavailable.” By comparison, Tesla’s robotaxi service in Austin shows 46 vehicles available.

The rocky start has reignited questions about safety. In February, Tesla reported that its robotaxis had been involved in 14 crashes since their launch last year. Unlike other robotaxi operators, Tesla redacts key details from its reports to the federal government, making it difficult to determine the severity of these incidents.

Early reactions to Tesla’s new service in Dallas won’t ease safety concerns. A user posted a video on X showing an unsupervised Tesla robotaxi mistakenly ending up on a freeway before a remote operator had to take over and look for a place to pull over.