▸ Robotaxi city guide

Waymo & Tesla in Houston (2026): where robotaxis drive and how to ride

By The Charge Port Team September 27, 2026

Public robotaxi services in Houston

Every operator taking public riders in Houston.

Waymo

Public riders

Public

App: Waymo app
Who can ride: Open to the public. Riders must be 18 or older.
Hours: 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
Driverless?: Driverless: no one in the driver’s seat
Service area: Houston Heights, Woodland Heights, Ryon, Kashmere Gardens, Rice Military, First Ward, Fourth Ward (Freedmen's Town), Downtown Houston, Montrose, Midtown, Upper Kirby, Houston Museum District, Rice Village and Astrodome Area
Launched here: February 24, 2026, by invitation; open to everyone since August 20, 2026

Tesla Robotaxi

Public riders

Mixed supervised/unsupervised

App: Tesla Robotaxi app
Who can ride: Open to the public. Sign in with a Tesla Account. Minors 8 to 17 may ride with an adult, and no one may sit in the front-left seat.
Driverless?: Mixed: some cars run with no one aboard, others carry a safety monitor. Tesla lists Houston as 'Ramping Unsupervised' and does not disclose how many cars run without a monitor.

Here, but not carrying riders yet

Zoox

Testing

Testing, announced September 1, 2026

Nuro

Testing

Frequently asked questions

Can you ride a robotaxi in Houston?

Yes. Two operators take public riders in Houston: Waymo (open to the public; book in the Waymo app) and Tesla Robotaxi (open to the public; book in the Tesla Robotaxi app). Not carrying riders there yet: Zoox (testing, announced September 1, 2026) and Nuro (testing).

Which app do you use to ride a robotaxi in Houston?

Waymo: the Waymo app. Tesla Robotaxi: the Tesla Robotaxi app.

Are the robotaxis in Houston driverless?

Waymo: driverless, with no one in the driver’s seat. Tesla Robotaxi: a mix: some cars run with no one aboard, others carry a safety monitor.

When do robotaxis run in Houston?

Waymo: 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Where do robotaxis operate in Houston?

Waymo: covering Houston Heights, Woodland Heights, Ryon, Kashmere Gardens, Rice Military, First Ward, Fourth Ward (Freedmen's Town), Downtown Houston, Montrose, Midtown, Upper Kirby, Houston Museum District, Rice Village and Astrodome Area.

Sources and method

Waymo Help Center: Service areas accessed September 26, 2026
Waymo Help Center: Fully autonomous rides FAQ accessed September 26, 2026
Waymo blog February 24, 2026
Waymo blog (short) August 20, 2026
Tesla: Robotaxi accessed September 26, 2026
Tesla Support: Robotaxi support accessed September 26, 2026
Tesla Q2 2026 Update (SEC Exhibit 99.1) accessed September 26, 2026

Lines without numbered sources restate our US robotaxi tracker, where each operator profile lists its sources.

This guide is built from the same dataset as the tracker and follows its sourcing rules. Read the tracker's sourcing and methodology.