Tesla has rapidly expanded its Bay Area ride-hailing service, registering 1,655 vehicles with the California Public Utilities Commission, according to a CPUC spokesperson. At launch in August, the service had just 28 cars and 128 drivers. The company has since registered 798 drivers, though the actual number in operation could be higher because Tesla isn’t required to update the state as it adds drivers.
Despite being branded as a “Robotaxi,” the service is not registered as an autonomous vehicle in California and currently operates as a standard ride-hailing platform using Full Self-Driving with human drivers. Tesla has not applied for a driverless testing permit under the state’s strict AV rules.
For comparison, Waymo has 1,955 vehicles registered in California and more than 1,000 operating autonomously in the region, while Zoox has 229 registered vehicles, with about 50 active between San Francisco and Las Vegas.
As Tesla expanded public access to its app in September, some users reported long wait times—up to 40 minutes during peak hours—prompting the company to increase driver recruitment, including offering extra pay to factory workers. In Austin, where Tesla has begun testing vehicles without drivers, fleet size remains unclear, though Elon Musk has said the company aims to have around 500 vehicles operating there by year-end.