Tesla's recent launch of a ride-hailing service in San Francisco highlights a significant gap between its public statements and internal communications with regulators. While it is presented as an extension of its Robotaxi initiative, Tesla has not secured necessary permits for such services in California. The program features human supervisors, diverging from its previous operations in Austin. A Tesla employee's miscommunication about operating unsupervised rides prompted an apology to regulators, emphasizing the company's careful navigation of regulatory demands for both drivered and driverless services.
Tesla's not-a-robotaxis come with a human supervisor sitting in the driver's seat, which is a step backward from its Austin program, which featured a safety monitor sitting in the front passenger seat.
Tesla is in reality walking such a precarious tightrope with regulators, scrambling to apologize for one of its employees merely suggesting in a social media post that the automaker would be operating unsupervised rides.
Please know that Tesla is aware of the various permitting requirements. We understand that drivered and driverless autonomous rideshare operations would require obtaining additional permits from both the DMV and the CPUC.
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