Tesla Receives Ride-hailing Permit In Arizona In Last Required Step To Launch Robotaxi Service

Tesla received a ride-hailing licence this week from Arizona regulators, opening nan doorway for nan automaker to statesman operating a robotaxi work successful nan state.

A spokesperson pinch Arizona Department of Transportation told TechCrunch nan automaker applied for a Transportation Network Company licence connected November 13.  Tesla has met nan requirements to run arsenic a TNC and is permitted arsenic of November 17, according to ADOT.

The licence is nan last regulatory measurement to motorboat a robotaxi work successful Arizona, a authorities that has go a hub of autonomous conveyance exertion testing and development. Waymo, nan Alphabet-owned self-driving institution and nan ascendant robotaxi supplier successful nan U.S., has operated a work successful nan Phoenix area since 2018. Today, Waymo robotaxis screen a work area of 315 quadrate miles successful nan greater Phoenix metro area.

Under Arizona authorities law, companies use and past travel a self-certification process to trial autonomous vehicles pinch aliases without a driver. But that doesn’t let nan institution to run a robotaxi work that charges for rides. Any institution that wants to run a ride-hailing service, quality aliases robot driven, must use for a Transportation Network Company permit. 

In June, Tesla contacted nan Arizona Department of Transportation regarding autonomous conveyance ride-sharing services to statesman nan certification process. The institution expressed liking successful operating wrong nan Phoenix Metro area, a spokesperson told TechCrunch astatine nan time.

Tesla later applied for some autonomous conveyance testing/operating pinch a driver and testing/operating without a driver. Tesla went done Arizona’s self-certification process successful September to trial autonomous vehicles, an ADOT spokesperson confirmed.

Arizona is among respective states Tesla CEO Elon Musk has targeted for nan company’s robotaxi service.

In June, Tesla launched a constricted robotaxi work successful South Austin that still has a quality information usability sitting successful nan rider seat. The institution besides launched a pseudo-robotaxi work California, though it lacks nan due permits to run a commercialized robotaxi work successful nan state. Instead, nan company, which has a licence to run a charter service, uses labor driving Tesla Model Y vehicles equipped pinch its precocious driving assistance system, known arsenic Full Self-Driving Supervised, to prime up riders.