# Tesla Cybercabs turn 10-minute rides into hour-long ordeals

> Passengers report absurdly long trips as robotaxis avoid highways and take bizarre detours through Austin.
- Title: Tesla Cybercabs turn 10-minute rides into hour-long ordeals
- Summary: Passengers report absurdly long trips as robotaxis avoid highways and take bizarre detours through Austin. Tesla's Cybercabs can't use highways yet, forcing…
- Keywords: tesla, cybercab, robotaxi, austin, full self-driving, fsd, elon musk, waymo, autonomous vehicles, geofencing, science, technology
- Source: Futurism — https://futurism.com/advanced-transport/cybercabs-circuitous-routes
- Author: Frank Landymore
- Published: 2026-09-16T12:36:08+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: tesla, cybercab, robotaxi, austin, full self-driving, fsd, elon musk, waymo, autonomous vehicles, geofencing, science, technology
## Ten minutes becomes 70
An Austin passenger's short neighborhood trip turned into an hour-long ordeal. The Cybercab drove miles in the opposite direction, then took a massive detour through east Austin.

> My Cybercab held me hostage for an hour. Guess the Cybercab wanted the scenic route today.
## No highways allowed yet
Tesla Cybercabs can't drive on highways, forcing them to take tortuous alternative routes. The app only shows price estimates, not trip duration, so passengers don't know what they're in for.
## Geofenced and mapped only
The Cybercabs use unreleased Full Self-Driving software and only operate in pre-mapped areas. Waymo, the leading robotaxi company, already allows highway driving in some cities.
## Railroad crossings also avoided
Passengers report the cabs skip railroad crossings too, adding more time. Tesla is under investigation for FSD going haywire near crossings and driving into the path of oncoming trains.
## Musk's old words haunt him
In 2019, Elon Musk declared that needing a geofenced area means you don't have real self-driving. Tesla's Cybercabs now rely on exactly that restriction.

> If you need a geofence area, you don't have real self-driving!
## Key takeaway

Tesla's Cybercabs can't use highways yet, forcing them to take extremely circuitous routes that massively extend trip times.