Overview
- Telsa recorded 1,655 vehicles and 798 drivers with the California Public Utilities Commission for its Bay Area ride-hailing program, up from 28 cars at launch in August.
- The company has begun offering employees rides in Austin without onboard safety operators, supported by a video post from a senior Autopilot engineer and acknowledged by Elon Musk.
- Recruiting posters and job listings show Tesla pulling in factory and sales staff as paid AI operators, with hourly pay around $25–$30, referral bonuses, and screening that includes an FSD test drive.
- In California, Tesla’s service is not registered as an autonomous-vehicle program and lacks a DMV driverless-testing permit, operating instead under a CPUC permit that allows staffed rides to employees and some members of the public.
- Tesla completed self-certification in Nevada and Arizona and holds an Arizona commercial permit, though it has not launched paid rides there, while early public rollout in California produced long wait times as demand exceeded available cars.