MORE: Musk leans into autonomy after Tesla reports 16% profit drop It launched a non-autonomous ride-hailing service July 31 in the San Francisco Bay Area for Tesla owners and others, who can get rides in a Model Y with a human in the driver seat. Tesla lacks the necessary permits to offer autonomous service in California. Tesla is trying to catch up to industry leader Waymo, which is owned by Google parent Alphabet Inc. It launched its fully autonomous service in Austin about four months ago, where it now reportedly operates more than 100 vehicles. Its service is also available in four other U.S. cities. Tesla’s latest expansion comes after Waymo expanded its Austin service to include Crestview, Windsor Park, Sunset Valley, Franklin Park, The Domain and McKinney Falls State Park. Its original area included neighborhoods downtown, Barton Hills, Riverside, East Austin and Hyde Park. Advertisement