Waymo got rid of its waitlist last month, allowing anyone to hail a ride in one of its robotaxis. But it could be years before you can ask one of the company’s driverless cars for a ride to San Francisco International Airport.
Waymo is seeking approvals to pick up and drop off travelers at SFO, according to emails viewed by The Standard.
An airport spokesman said that before SFO permits Waymo to begin mapping the area, it wants to watch how the robotaxi service performs elsewhere.
“We would first like to see them gain more experience safely serving our surrounding communities before entertaining any activity, even mapping, at the airport,” said Doug Yakel.
In March, Waymo received the green light from state regulators to expand its 24/7 paid service to a wide swath of Los Angeles and San Mateo counties and use freeways to ferry passengers. The expansion area includes SFO.
But as part of getting the vehicles to SFO, the airport would need to create a permit structure for Waymo, given that self-driving cars are a new mode of transportation, Yakel said.
Waymo has yet to receive approval for either, meaning it can’t begin mapping of the airport or testing at the location with human drivers.
“Waymo riders in the Bay Area consistently ask Waymo to provide service to SFO,” the company’s chief product officer, Saswat Panigrahi, wrote in an email to the airport’s director, Ivar Satero. “We would like to partner with airport leaders and staff to work towards that future goal.”
Yakel said the process of creating a new permit system would be similar to what the airport did before Uber and Lyft got the go-ahead to operate. That process could take years: Uber launched in San Francisco in 2010; the airport gave it permission to operate there in 2014.
Of course, ride-share companies were picking up and dropping off passengers at SFO well before they got official approval to do so. But Waymo’s robotaxis are too obvious to pass for a normal “friends or family” drop-off.
In Phoenix — which has become a leading test market for the company —Waymo began offering rides to the public in 2020.
In December 2022, Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport announced that after a limited trial involving human backup drivers, it would allow Waymo rides without a “specialist” behind the wheel.
Asked in January about a potential Waymo expansion to SFO, Yakel said the airport wanted to see more from the driverless car service first.
Waymo has said that nearly 300,000 people have signed up to use its service. A spokesman said the company looks forward to working with SFO “in a phased and collaborative manner.”