Tesla has begun offering an invite-only ride-hailing service across the San Francisco Bay Area, Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk said in a post on X on 31 July. The launch, which follows a June debut in Austin, lets customers summon a Tesla through the company’s app over a roughly 75-mile corridor stretching from north of the Golden Gate Bridge to south of San Jose. Unlike the fully driverless systems pursued by rival robotaxi operators, the Bay Area fleet is operating with safety drivers behind the wheel while using Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (Supervised) software. Videos posted by early users show the company is charging for rides, and invitations are being issued gradually to Tesla owners and other selected customers. California’s tighter autonomous-vehicle rules mean Tesla cannot yet deploy driverless cars without additional permits. The company holds a transportation charter permit from the California Public Utilities Commission that allows it to carry paying passengers in vehicles with human drivers, and the state Department of Motor Vehicles says Tesla has not applied for a permit to test or operate fully driverless taxis. Musk told investors last week he expects the service to be accessible to about half of the U.S. population by the end of 2025, underscoring Tesla’s ambition to convert its electric-vehicle fleet into a nationwide, software-driven mobility network.