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Deployment

Tesla Robotaxi (Model Y ADS) at San Francisco Bay Area

Tesla's robotaxi service vehicle, a 2026 Model Y operating with Tesla's Autonomous Driving System (ADS, based on Full Self-Driving) engaged. In Austin, some vehicles operate unsupervised (no in-car safety monitor); in the Bay Area, a safety driver is present as required by California law. A teleoperator can remotely assist/pilot a vehicle at speeds under 10 mph for repositioning.

Tesla's purpose-built, steering-wheel-free Cybercab, intended as the dedicated robotaxi vehicle at scale, was expected to begin production around April 2026 (not yet the deployed service vehicle as of early 2026). Maturity: pilot (early commercial service under heavy supervision and scrutiny; not yet at-scale).

Tesla Robotaxi (Model Y ADS) by Tesla · Machine verified · Robotaxis

Track Tesla Robotaxi (Model Y ADS) at San Francisco Bay Area

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Operator: Tesla. Tesla holds a CPUC TCP (charter-party / passenger-transportation) permit for the Bay Area ride-hailing service, operated in SUPERVISED mode (Level 2 - a safety driver monitors and can take over; not unsupervised AV). ~1,655 vehicles were registered with CPUC for the service as of late May 2026, but the active operating fleet is small and declining: approximately 9 active in late May 2026, down from a peak of ~168 active in January 2026.

The large registered count versus the tiny active fleet is the key distinction (registered is not the same as operating). Tesla must accumulate supervised miles before it can apply for fully-driverless (unsupervised) permits in California.

Key facts

Supervision
Supervised (L2), safety driver required by CA law
Fleet
~168 vehicles (early 2026, Tesla's largest market)
Vehicle
2026 Model Y with ADS
Airport service
Rides to/from SFO launched July 2026
Source
Tesla AI (@Tesla_AI) on X, July 20 2026

Exposure

Customer segment
consumer
Scale tier
mass 100 999

Each exposure value carries its own basis marker. Aggregators report a number; this surface preserves the source class so verification depth travels with the value.

Safety record

No incidents on record for Tesla Robotaxi (Model Y ADS) at San Francisco Bay Area.

Only active incidents are counted. Retracted incidents are excluded from this summary but remain reachable at their canonical URLs.

Trust tier
Machine verifiedhow tiers work →
Last updated
2026-08-21
Model
Tesla Robotaxi (Model Y ADS)
Company
Tesla
Location
United States/San Francisco Bay Area
Operator
Tesla
Status
operational
Operator type
maker operated
Scale at site
100+ units
Site environment
outdoor
Location precision
verified coordinates
First seen
2025-09-01
ID
918e559c-f754-4a4c-8d7d-ade0a30f238a

Timeline

  1. Sep 2025
    First recorded
    Tesla Robotaxi (Model Y ADS) first documented operating at San Francisco Bay Area.
  2. May 2026
    created
  3. Aug 2026
    Current status: operational, reviewed
    Latest recorded state. New status transitions append here as the deployment-status recorder produces them.

Claimed vs. verified

Tesla claims 1,000 Tesla Robotaxi (Model Y ADS) units in the field. DEPLOY has independently verified 12 deployment sites and 1,000 units.

The gap between claimed and verified is the Fleet Reality signal. See the Fleet Reality Index.

On the deployment map

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Tesla Robotaxi (Model Y ADS) operates in San Francisco Bay Area. Explore the full verified map:

Verifications (1)

Sources (4)

  1. https://www.cpuc.ca.gov/regulatory-services/licensing/transportation-licensing-and-analysis-branch/autonomous-vehicle-programs/autonomous-vehicle-program-permits-issued
  2. https://techcrunch.com/2025/03/18/what-tesla-can-and-cant-do-in-california-with-its-new-passenger-transportation-permit/
  3. https://electrek.co/2026/05/26/tesla-robotaxi-fleet-shrinking-not-growing/
  4. https://techcrunch.com/2025/06/22/tesla-launches-robotaxi-rides-in-austin-with-big-promises-and-unanswered-questions/
Methodology: Verified · 4 sources (no primary) · last reviewed 2026-08-21

Verification posture

Verified

Low confidence

Review state

Stable

Last reviewed 2026-08-21

Maturity + lifecycle

Maturity stage: pilot

Lifecycle: active

Architectural position

Cohort: av

Sources by quality tier

2
unclassified
Unclassified source
2
secondary-industry-publication
Industry publication

The framework is documented at /methodology. Corrections at /corrections. Reviewer: DEPLOY editorial team.

Methodology surface for Tesla Robotaxi (Model Y ADS) at San Francisco Bay Area.

Common questions

What is the Tesla Robotaxi (Model Y ADS) deployment at San Francisco Bay Area?
Tesla Robotaxi (Model Y ADS), built by Tesla, is recorded as a deployment at San Francisco Bay Area on the DEPLOY registry. Tesla operates the deployment directly.
Who operates Tesla Robotaxi (Model Y ADS) at San Francisco Bay Area?
Tesla, the manufacturer of Tesla Robotaxi (Model Y ADS), operates this deployment directly. This is a maker-deploys-its-own-product arrangement rather than a customer pilot.
When did the Tesla Robotaxi (Model Y ADS) deployment at San Francisco Bay Area go live?
The deployment is recorded as starting September 1, 2025 on the DEPLOY registry. Earlier activity may exist but is not yet sourced.
Have there been incidents at the Tesla Robotaxi (Model Y ADS) deployment at San Francisco Bay Area?
No active incidents affecting this deployment are recorded on the DEPLOY registry. Absence of recorded incidents is not a guarantee no incident occurred; DEPLOY records only sourced incidents and suppresses retracted ones.

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