Tesla has officially entered the driverless ride-hailing game, launching its highly anticipated robotaxi service in select U.S. cities. But what should have been a triumphant debut has quickly turned into a headline-making mess.
As seen in Millionaire MNL, users have taken to social media and forums to document strange, frustrating, and even dangerous early experiences with Tesla’s autonomous fleet,ranging from long wait times to the cars mysteriously parking in the wrong locations.
And perhaps most bizarrely, riders have likened the experience to a “Pokémon-style hunt,” where they’re forced to chase down their assigned robotaxi across parking lots or side streets.
A Launch Long in the Making
Elon Musk first teased the idea of Tesla robotaxis back in 2019, promising a future where anyone could summon a self-driving Tesla from their phone. The dream: cut out human drivers entirely and flood the streets with autonomous Teslas providing cheap, clean transportation.
Five years and multiple software delays later, the service has finally begun limited rollout in major cities like San Francisco and Austin. But the reality hasn’t quite matched the hype.
Wait Times and Wrong Turns
Users have reported wait times of over 30 minutes, with no clear updates from the app. In some cases, the robotaxi has shown up blocks away, or simply driven past the pickup point without stopping.
In one widely shared incident, the robotaxi entered the wrong lane of traffic, creating a tense moment before safely re-routing. Tesla insists all vehicles remain under remote supervision during these early phases, but critics warn the hiccups reflect deeper readiness issues.
‘Gotta Catch Your Car’
Perhaps the most viral complaint has been Tesla’s seemingly unreliable vehicle drop-off logic. Multiple users posted videos of their robotaxi parking several blocks away from their GPS pin, forcing a real-world scavenger hunt to find it.
“It was like Pokémon Go,” joked one rider. “I was running through a Target parking lot trying to catch my ride before it left.”
Tesla’s Response
Tesla has not issued a formal press release on the rollout glitches, but Musk acknowledged “expected edge-case chaos” in a recent post on X. He promised rapid software improvements, citing Tesla’s data advantage over rivals like Waymo and Cruise.
Still, industry experts are cautious. “This is a live beta being tested on public roads,” said one automotive analyst. “It may be exciting, but it’s also a public safety issue.”
What’s Next?
Despite the rocky debut, Tesla is forging ahead. The company has reportedly opened access to select users with high Safety Scores, and is offering discounted fares during the launch window. Behind the scenes, Tesla is collecting real-world driving data at scale, fueling future iterations of its Full Self-Driving (FSD) system.
As mentioned by Millionaire MNL, Tesla’s robotaxi gamble is massive: if it works, it could reshape ride-hailing, logistics, and the very notion of car ownership. But if early signs are any indication, the road to autonomy may still be bumpier than Musk predicted.
