Sept 19 (Reuters) - Tesla has been approved to

start testing autonomous robotaxi vehicles with a safety monitor

in Arizona, the state transportation department said in an email

to Reuters on Friday.

Tesla had applied in June for a permit to begin trials for

an autonomous vehicle ride-sharing service, and now plans to

test robotaxis in the Phoenix Metro area using safety drivers,

the Arizona Department of Transportation said in its email.

Tesla did not respond to a Reuters request for comment. It

was not immediately clear when the trials would start or how

long they would last.

Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk previously stated that Tesla

plans to launch an autonomous ride-hailing service to about half

of the U.S. population by the end of this year.

Tesla rolled out a small test of its robotaxi service in a

limited area of Austin, Texas, in June, with about a dozen

vehicles, a select group of passengers and many restrictions,

including a safety monitor in the front passenger seat.