Waymo approved to start testing autonomous vehicles at San Francisco International Airport

Waymo has received permission to initiate testing of its autonomous vehicles at San Francisco International Airport (SFO), marking a significant step towards launching a commercial service. The announcement was made by the mayor’s office of San Francisco, confirming the signing of a "Testing and Operations Pilot Permit" following extensive negotiations. This development comes shortly after Waymo was allowed to begin testing operations at the nearby San Jose Mineta International Airport. It is worth noting that Tesla is also in the mix, vying to offer ride-hailing services at these airports. SFO, being the largest airport serving Silicon Valley, has long been on Waymo's radar. While the company has been operational at Phoenix’s Sky Harbor airport since 2023, gaining access to SFO has been a pursuit for years. Initially, airport authorities had turned down Waymo's proposal back in 2023. However, a recent permit granted for mapping the airport indicates a shift in relations. The newly issued permit allows Waymo to advance through three phases of testing. The first phase will involve autonomous vehicle testing with a trained specialist present. The second phase will see employee and airport staff passenger service trials. Finally, the third phase is set to introduce paid rides, with pickups and drop-offs at the airport’s "Kiss & Fly area," which requires an AirTrain ride to access the terminals. Waymo's spokesperson, Chris Bonelli, informed TechCrunch that testing will commence soon, although no specific timeline for the remaining phases has been provided. He noted that the third phase of paid rides will proceed on a "month-to-month" basis as Waymo collaborates with SFO on securing a sustained commercial operations permit. The rollout of rides to and from SFO adds to a series of achievements for Waymo this year, as the company continues to expand into new cities and forge partnerships, including with Uber. With growth in its service area throughout Silicon Valley, the introduction of service at SFO appears increasingly likely. This report has been updated with the latest insights from Waymo regarding the timing of the testing phases.