Tesla starts human-driven taxi service in San Francisco

In the San Francisco Bay Area, Tesla is gradually introducing its autonomous driving technology by launching a taxi service featuring human drivers. This move aims to bridge the gap while the company awaits regulatory approval for its long-anticipated robotaxis. Tesla's plan highlights its desire to expand beyond its limited self-driving operations, which are currently confined to Austin, Texas. Despite the challenges faced there, including a rocky start, the company is moving forward with its ambitions for better mobility solutions. These developments coincide with ongoing negotiations for critical regulatory permissions from the California Public Utilities Commission, which needs to approve autonomous vehicle use for commercial services. Until then, Tesla can only operate traditional vehicles with human drivers. The current operations are tightly regulated and initially cater to a limited audience, predominantly consisting of friends and family of Tesla employees. As part of this taxi service setup, Tesla chauffeurs will likely utilize the company’s Full Self-Driving software while ensuring a human driver is present at all times, ready to intervene whenever necessary. This arrangement allows the service to comply with state regulations without necessitating specific permits for the activation of the software with passengers onboard. Nevertheless, uncertainties remain about future pricing and expansion plans as the project evolves through its pilot phase. Additionally, California law mandates that companies must execute this phase without charging customers before proceeding to full-scale operations.