Overview

• Tesla opened an invite-only ride-hailing service across the San Francisco Bay Area on July 31 with safety drivers at the wheel.
• Tesla’s Bay Area rollout spans San Francisco to San Jose, including Fremont and Berkeley, under a non-autonomous charter permit with full CPUC approval still outstanding.
• In Austin, the robotaxi pilot shifted from a flat $4.20 fare to distance-based dynamic pricing after Tesla doubled its geofenced zone.
• California law mandates DMV and CPUC permits for driverless operations, leading Tesla to classify its Full Self-Driving (Supervised) system as a driver-assist tool.
• CEO Elon Musk aims to extend robotaxi service to half of the U.S. population by year-end as competitors like Waymo expand fully driverless networks.