# Tesla Robotaxi Houston expansion hits routing problems

> Days after expanding its Houston service area by 229 square miles, Tesla Robotaxi users report long detours and unavailable pickup zones.
- Title: Tesla Robotaxi Houston expansion hits routing problems
- Summary: Days after expanding its Houston service area by 229 square miles, Tesla Robotaxi users report long detours and unavailable pickup zones. Tesla's Robotaxi…
- Keywords: tesla, robotaxi, houston, autonomous vehicles, routing problems, service expansion, technology, startups, expansion, hits, routing, problems
- Source: The Next Web — https://thenextweb.com/news/tesla-robotaxi-houston-routing-problems
- Author: Darius Popa
- Published: 2026-10-29T11:44:44+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: tesla, robotaxi, houston, autonomous vehicles, routing problems, service expansion, technology, startups
## Tesla expands Houston Robotaxi zone
Tesla announced Monday it had expanded its Houston Robotaxi service area into a rocket-shaped zone stretching from northwest Harris County to downtown Houston and Bellaire.

> Houston, we have liftoff.
## Expansion adds 229 square miles
The new zone added an estimated two hundred twenty-nine square miles, according to RobotaxiTracker. Waymo's robotaxi zone in Houston covers about fifty square miles.
## Riders report detours and unavailable zones
Ethan McKanna, who runs RobotaxiTracker, found the app rejected downtown pickup locations inside the published zone. A two-block ride quoted forty minutes, routing south through Midtown and the Texas Medical Center before heading back north.
## Users experience long waits and delays
Content creator Hy Luu reported his thirteen-mile trip from home to work took about eighty minutes after the car arrived, with a twenty-five-minute pickup wait.His usual commute in his own Tesla takes about forty-five minutes.
## Key takeaway

Tesla's Robotaxi service in Houston is experiencing routing failures and navigation errors after a major service area expansion announced Monday.