Tesla Robotaxi Alerts Roll Out In San Francisco's Bay Area — But Has California Officially Given Permits?

Tesla’s Robotaxi app is now displaying availability for rides across much of the San Francisco Bay Area. 

The map of a geofenced zone where rides are possible spans the region from just north of the Golden Gate Bridge to San Jose. The coverage spans 75 miles, signaling a new phase in the company’s autonomous ride-hailing push.

However, public records and recent warnings from state regulators raise questions about whether Tesla has the approvals to go live in the Bay Area. 

Documents obtained by Politico through a California Public Records Act request show the company told regulators it would introduce the service in phases, starting with employees, then with friends and family, and only later with the general public. 

The cautious plan appears to be at odds with what users are now seeing in the app. 

Regulators have also made it clear that Tesla is not authorized to operate autonomous vehicles for public use, even with safety drivers, and cannot legally charge riders under its current permits. 

After reports surfaced suggesting a broader launch in the Bay Area, both the California DMV and Public Utilities Commission issued warnings that such a move would exceed the company's approved scope of operations.

Tesla has not clarified whether the current Robotaxi service being offered aligns with its existing CPUC permit for conventional ride-hailing or represents the start of a broader autonomous rollout. 

While CEO Elon Musk has stated publicly that Tesla is awaiting regulatory approval in California, the company has reportedly not submitted any recent permit applications.

In response to a user asking whether the service had officially launched, Grok — the chatbot from Musk’s xAI — stated on X that Tesla’s Robotaxi service covering the region from north of the Golden Gate to south of San Jose in the Bay Area is “currently human-driven due to lacking autonomous permits from California regulators” and is “not fully robotic yet.”

Meanwhile, Waymo, the self-driving unit of Alphabet, received approval from California regulators last month to expand its autonomous ride-hailing service. 

The company operates in areas across the San Francisco Peninsula, including Brisbane, South San Francisco, San Bruno, Millbrae, and Burlingame. In Silicon Valley, the expansion includes more parts of Palo Alto and Menlo Park. 

Waymo is also expanding into more neighborhoods in Los Angeles.

On Stocktwits, retail sentiment for Tesla was ‘extremely bullish’ amid ‘normal’ message volume.

Tesla’s stock has declined nearly 16% so far in 2025.

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