Tesla has applied for a transportation charter-party carrier permit in California to launch a ride-hailing service with human drivers, a move that contradicts previous promises of unsupervised self-driving technology. The application signals a shift toward a controlled fleet model amid ongoing debates over Tesla’s advanced automation goals. Officials remain cautious.
Even though the company’s planned robotaxi won’t be operating its ride-hailing service in California, Tesla has nonetheless applied for the necessary permits to do so.
Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, indicated last year that “unsupervised self-driving in Texas and California in Q2 2025” would be the company’s debut.
We had a hunch, though, that Waymo’s long-running practice of using an internal fleet with teleoperation support in a geo-fenced area for ride-hailing services—rather than Tesla’s “unsupervised self-driving” in customer vehicles—would be the case.
It was indeed planned for Austin in June, as Musk announced last month. Electrek’s words are that Tesla is “shifting the goal post” here.
Despite having previously announced that it will happen simultaneously with Texas in June, Tesla has since stopped mentioning California in favor of focusing on Austin.
Now, according to Bloomberg, Tesla has reportedly requested a ride-hailing license in California:
“The electric vehicle manufacturer applied late last year for what’s known as a transportation charter-party carrier permit from the California Public Utilities Commission, according to documents viewed by Bloomberg. That classification means Tesla would own and control the fleet of vehicles.”
However, this app is for a standard ride-hailing service, similar to Uber, but with an internal fleet instead of customer-operated vehicles.
Obtaining a license to operate autonomous vehicles is still something Tesla has not done:
“In its communications with California officials, Tesla discussed driver’s license information and drug-testing coordination, suggesting the company intends to use human drivers, at least initially.”
Tesla is requesting a permit that is identical to the one that Waymo, the robotaxi company owned by Alphabet Inc., uses. A Tesla representative confirmed that the company has the necessary authorization to conduct safety driverless car testing in California, but denied that the company has sought or obtained a permission to test or deploy driverless vehicles.
Musk reiterated his belief that Tesla can accomplish “unsupervised self-driving” in California by “the end of the year,” a claim he has made annually for the last ten years.
According to the most recent statistics, Tesla’s Full Self-Driving system can travel approximately 500 miles before needing to be engaged again. The electric car manufacturer Tesla claims it requires a range of 700,000 miles before it can be considered safer than humans.
Luis Gochoco is a seasoned managing editor and writer with over a decade of experience covering politics, technology, gaming, and entertainment news. With a keen eye for breaking stories and in-depth analysis, he has established himself as a trusted voice in digital journalism. Luis is one of the key forces behind the success of GameNGuide, contributing to 12 million views through engaging and high-traffic content. He also played a pivotal role in generating 8 million views on International Business Times, shaping the platform’s technology and gaming coverage.
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