Elon Musk’s Robotaxi plan faces permit hurdles at California airports

Tesla has officially started trying to get into San Francisco, San Jose, and Oakland airports to expand its new ride-hailing service in California.

The company notified state regulators that it wants the green light for passenger pick-ups and drop-offs at all three locations, according to internal records allegedly seen by Politico.

Casey Blaine, Tesla’s senior regulatory lawyer, wrote that they’re “initiating engagement with the following airports to secure the necessary approvals.”

Tesla requests permits while skipping full AV rules

Elon has been hyping the Robotaxi vision for years. His idea? Millions of Teslas driving themselves, picking people up without a driver. That’s also part of a huge pay package the board just proposed for him. One route to becoming the world’s first trillionaire runs through one million robotaxis.

But here’s the thing: Tesla hasn’t followed the state’s full process for autonomous vehicles. Instead, it launched in July with a limited type of permit meant for charter-party carriers, not full self-driving services.

Doug Yakel from SFO confirmed: “We have received a request from Tesla expressing interest in securing a permit for operations at SFO, and have responded back to begin scheduling discussions on this.”

Julie Jarratt from San Jose airport added, “Tesla had also inquired about obtaining a permit to operate the [transportation charter party] ride-hailing service,” but so far, no permit has been issued and no application submitted.

Oakland Airport’s Kaley Skantz said, “Our team has been in contact with Tesla’s Public Policy and Business Development team, but we have not yet met with them.” In short: a lot of conversations, but no signed deals.

Meanwhile, Waymo (Google’s robotaxi company) has already locked in approvals. Last Thursday, San Jose airport became the first in California (and only the second in the country) to allow Waymo to operate. The company also reached a deal to start mapping the San Francisco airport after a long fight with the Teamsters Union.

That leaves the question: Can Elon even call this thing a robotaxi?

Scott Moura from UC Berkeley’s transportation institute doesn’t think so. “The current Tesla cars have assistive features that need the driver to stay alert and are not regulated in California as fully autonomous,” he told Politico. “The company is trying to gather volumes of data… from sales of privately owned vehicles and this Uber-like Robotaxi fleet.”

Officials press Tesla over Robotaxi label and unclear terms

Even though the app is called “Robotaxi”, neither Elon nor the company used the word in promotional materials when launching it in Austin in June or in the Bay Area in July. When the app went public last Wednesday, all three major airports showed up as “blocked.”

Last Thursday, officials from the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) visited Tesla’s Palo Alto office to ask questions and see the service firsthand. The visit had been planned for weeks. Ashlyn Kong from CPUC and her team rode in the vehicles and met Tesla’s team.

“CPUC staff are aware of Tesla’s recently expanded Bay Area charter-party carrier service and associated app,” said Terrie Prosper from the agency. “We expect Tesla and all carriers to properly and clearly represent their service.”

The company also told CPUC earlier this year that it knew more permits would be needed for real autonomous service.

Elon posted last month on X, saying Tesla isn’t allowed to use the word “taxi” under California law, but also said they’re “working as quickly as possible to get 100 Teslas operating for autonomous ride-hailing” in the Bay Area.

Each airport has a different process. Jarratt said that San Jose’s category “would depend on the initial offerings.” She confirmed that Tesla has multiple active business licenses in the city.

But beyond that, autonomous vehicle companies have to follow strict reporting and operating rules.

Waymo’s launch will come in steps, starting with staff-only rides, then a public rollout later in the year. Tasha Dean from San Jose’s city office said there’s been no conversation with Elon’s team about autonomous rides.

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