However, unlike Austin, where a safety monitor is sitting in the front passenger seat, San Francisco Robotaxis have a safety driver behind the steering wheel. This is due to Tesla not having all the regulatory approvals required by the state of California to offer paid driverless taxi rides.

Tesla has also yet to prove that its Full Self-Driving software can be used to power a robotaxi network. While the company has been running an invite-only version of its robotaxi service in Austin since June 22, it’s been a far cry from what Musk has spent years teasing.