Before launching the commercial service, Waymo had obtained a license to start testing its self-driving cars at San Francisco International Airport.
San Francisco Mayor’s Office Announce On Tuesday, after years of back and forth negotiations, the airport was called SFO and Waymo signed a “test and operation pilot permit”. The deal with SFO started testing two weeks after Waymo was cleaned up Nearby San Jose Mine Festival International Airport.
SFO is not the first airport Waymo will serve. The company has been operating at Phoenix’s Skyport Airport since 2023. However, SFO has been Waymo’s target, if not longer, the largest airport for the company to serve Silicon Valley.
Airport authorities initially reject Waymo Back to 2023But this year’s Waymo has obtained a license to start mapping the airport, which is a clear indicator The relationship has thawed.
The newly granted license allows Waymo to be divided into three stages. The first will test its AVS in autonomous mode at Waymo and “trained experts” behind the steering wheel. The second will involve Waymo testing passenger service with staff and airport staff. The third phase will allow Waymo to start offering paid rides.
Once Waymo enters phase 3, the company said it will provide pickups and drops in the “Kiss & Fly area” of the airport, which requires a vehicle to reach the terminal. The company said it intends to “explor other locations at the airport in the future.”
The provision of round trip SFO rides will be Waymo’s growing list of achievements this year. The company has Expand to multiple new citieswith more partners (such as Uber) and more partners coming in 2026. Waymo’s service area in Silicon Valley is also developing, making SFO services increasingly inevitable.
TechCrunch Events
San Francisco
|
October 27-29, 2025
