Tesla said it would bring robotaxis to Miami. Waymo said “hold my steering wheel” and got there first.
Despite announcing plans in late January 2026 to expand unsupervised robotaxi operations to seven major US cities by the end of the first half of 2026, Tesla’s Miami launch remains categorized as “preparations underway” with no firm date attached. Meanwhile, Alphabet’s Waymo has been collecting paid fares in the city since January 22, 2026, making Miami its sixth operational US market.
The gap between promise and pavement
Tesla successfully launched unsupervised robotaxi services in Dallas and Houston around April 18, 2026. Those are real rides, in real cities, with nobody behind the wheel.
But the original roadmap was more ambitious. Tesla’s late January 2026 announcement targeted seven cities: Miami, Orlando, Tampa, Dallas, Houston, Phoenix, and Las Vegas. With only two of those seven operational and the calendar now past the self-imposed mid-2026 deadline, the scorecard reads more like a partial credit exam than a victory lap.
