The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) granted Teslas application for a ride-hail permit, a required first step in the automakers quest to launch a robotaxi service in the state.Last year, Tesla applied to become a transportation charter-party carrier (TCP), which enables it to operate a fleet of vehicles for passenger services using employees as drivers. CPUC is a state agency that regulates human- and robot-driven vehicles for ride-hail services.With its new permit, Tesla can transport its own employees as passengers in Tesla vehicles on a pre-arranged basis, according to CPUC. It can then transition to using the permit to transport members of the public, but will need to notify the agency first before initiating that step.TCP permits are different from the permits for ridehailing companies like Uber and Lyft, which operate as transportation network companies that connect independent drivers to customers via mobile apps.With its new permit, Tesla can transport its own employees as passengers in Tesla vehicles on a pre-arranged basis.Also, its important to note that Tesla is not yet participating in CPUCs autonomous vehicle passenger program though it will need to do so if it intends to launch a commercial passenger service using driverless cars. The company would also need to obtain permission from the California Department of Motor Vehicles to test fully driverless vehicles which it has yet to do.Still, its a sign that Tesla is serious about pursuing its long-awaited robotaxi project. The companys CEO Elon Musk said during an earnings call earlier this year Tesla would begin by testing driverless operations in Texas this summer. He also claimed that the company has been testing a nascent service with employees in the Bay Area for several months using safety drivers.Musk has caught a lot of flack over the years for repeatedly promising that fully autonomous vehicles were just one to two years away and then failing to deliver. Also there are lingering questions about the readiness of the technology on which Tesla claims its vehicles can drive autonomously, especially its camera-only sensor suite that eschews radar, lidar, and other redundant safety systems.