Tesla’s self-driving robotaxis have finally hit the road – and their first, invite-only passengers are unsurprisingly impressed

• Tesla's Robotaxis are up and running in Texas, Austin
• Most online reactions have been positive so far
• You can only get rides with special invites for now

It's been quite a wait, but the Tesla robotaxi service has now launched in limited form, ferrying its first passengers around Austin, Texas with fully automated self-driving technology and no human cab drivers.

The news was announced across various social media channels, including @Tesla_AI, and follows years of testing and teases from Tesla and its CEO Elon Musk. However, it's a very limited launch for now: you need to be invited to try out the service, and it only covers a specific part of Austin, a region that's been thoroughly mapped by Tesla's software.

While there's no human driver, each robotaxi comes with a Tesla employee sitting in the passenger seat, ready to shut down the car ...