Tesla has started requesting approval from several California airports to allow its driverless ride-hailing service to pick up and drop off passengers there.
The news come a week after Alphabet-backed Waymo became the first authorized fully autonomous ride-hailing service to operate commercially on the premises of the San José Airport.
The information was reported by the media outlet Politico, after reaching out to the San Francisco International Airport, San José Mineta International Airport and Oakland Internacional Airport.
According to new records obtained by the outlet, Tesla‘s Senior Regulatory Counsel Casey Blaine had informed California regulators of the company’s intent over the summer.
Doug Yakel, San Francisco Airport’s public information officer, confirmed to Politico that they have “received a request from Tesla expressing interest in securing a permit for operations at SFO,” to which the airport has “responded back to begin scheduling discussions on this.”
Oakland Airport’s spokesperson Kaley Skantz added that their team “has been in contact with Tesla’s Public Policy and Business Development team, but we have not yet met with them.”
Regarding the San José Airport, Julie Jarratt said that Tesla has ” “inquired about obtaining a permit to operate the ride-hailing service” on its grounds. However, she noted that no application has been filed for the purpose.
Last week, Waymo was granted permission to operate its robotaxi in the San José Mineta International Airport.
The service rollout in the city will “happen in stages, as the company will begin “with fully-autonomous testing with Waymo employees, followed by a commercial launch for the public later this year.”
Waymo was the first tech company to launch a robotaxi to the public, in late 2020. It has completed over 10 million trips since then, operating in both San Francisco and Los Angeles, in California, and in Phoenix, Arizona.
It has also integrated its service into Uber’s app in Austin earlier this year and has begun pilot rides in Atlanta, with launches planned in Miami and Washington, D.C. next year.
Earlier this year, Waymo‘s co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana had commented on Tesla’s camera-only approach with its robotaxi, stating that “there’s no reason to eliminate aspects that make it safe.”
Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi echoed this view last month, stating that LiDAR technology is “crucial for safety” in autonomous vehicles, which must perform “many times better than humans.”
The company’s chief executive Elon Musk then reiterated his opposition to LiDAR sensors, saying that Tesla’s camera-only approach avoids conflicts that he argues arise when multiple sensors are combined.
Tesla‘s Robotaxi service was launched in late June, in Austin.
The geofenced area has been expanded several times over the past two months, as the company prepares expansion towards other US cities.
Tesla introduced the ride-hailing service in the Bay Area last month, however, and unlike the Austin vehicles, robotaxis in San Francisco include a safety driver behind the wheel.
After some people compared the service to regular ride-hailing with a human driver using Tesla‘s Full Self-Driving (FSD), Elon Musk has said on Thursday that the safety driver will likely be removed by year-end.
“The safety driver is only needed for the first few months to be extra safe,” he wrote on X. “There should be no safety driver by the end of the year.”
The public launch is planned for later this month, with Tesla having launched the Robotaxi app on Apple Store already.
The company aims for half of the US population to be able to use its Robotaxi by the end of the year.
Last week, the US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced that the Trump Administration is streamlining the process for automakers to introduce self-driving cars in the country.
“Our changes will eliminate redundant requirements and bring us closer to a single national standard that spurs innovation and prioritizes safety,” Duffy stated.
