Tesla Robotaxi app quotes 40 minutes for two-block Houston trip
A displayed downtown itinerary looped through Midtown and the Texas Medical Center, though Tesla has not explained the route
Tesla’s Robotaxi app displayed an itinerary of about 40 minutes for a trip of roughly two blocks in downtown Houston, according to a screenshot posted Oct. 26 by Ethan McKanna, the creator of Robotaxi Tracker and a former Tesla employee.
The quoted trip had a 2:05 p.m. pickup and a 2:48 p.m. drop-off at Houston Police Department headquarters on Travis Street, a 43-minute span. The itinerary took the vehicle south through Midtown and the Museum District toward the Texas Medical Center before looping north again, rather than crossing downtown directly. The image showed an app estimate, not evidence that a passenger completed the journey.
Tech Insider reported the screenshot and said Tesla had not explained the routing. McKanna wrote: “40 min ride to cross 2 blocks downtown.” He suggested the system might be avoiding downtown railway crossings, but Tesla has not confirmed that explanation.
The quote came as Tesla enlarged its Houston operating boundary on Oct. 26. As we reported then, the new area extended service from its northwest Harris County launch zone into much of the 610 Loop, including downtown, Midtown and Bellaire.
Other reports found that the displayed boundary did not always translate into available pickups. A downtown pin within Tesla’s published polygon generated the message, “Location not available. Move the map to select a different location,” while McKanna also shared a recording of unavailable locations at other points inside the geofence.
The route was not the only reported example of lengthy journeys. Hy Luu said a 13-mile Robotaxi commute took about 80 minutes after the vehicle arrived, following a wait of roughly 25 minutes for pickup. He normally completed the journey in about 45 minutes in his own Tesla, and told Business Insider that the vehicle wait and detours would deter many potential users.
McKanna nevertheless said the service “feels really good in Houston,” praising its driving and wait times while criticizing the map and routing. Robotaxi Tracker counted 34 driverless Model Ys in Houston after the expansion, with no Cybercabs, across a service area it put at about 254 square miles.