Waymo has received authorization to map roadways at San Francisco International Airport (SFO) through a temporary permit, marking the initial phase of the Alphabet company’s efforts to explore a potentially profitable application for its robotaxis. Announced on Monday evening by San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie, the temporary permit became effective on March 14.
Currently, Waymo vehicles will be manually driven by employees for mapping purposes and will not operate autonomously at the airport. Nevertheless, this permit indicates the beginning of a gradual plan for the eventual commercial operation of Waymo vehicles at the airport.
Nicole Gavel, head of business development and strategic partnerships at Waymo, commented on the development, emphasizing the permit as a significant step toward offering Waymo’s services to millions of travelers who frequent the city and have expressed interest in including SFO in service expansion plans.
This development represents a positive shift for Waymo, which was unsuccessful in acquiring a mapping permit for SFO in 2023. However, this current agreement entails certain conditions, such as data sharing, which are likely to be included in subsequent agreements with the city and San Francisco Airport Commission. Waymo’s phased plan includes initial mapping, autonomous testing with a human safety operator, driverless testing, and eventual commercial operations.
As per the agreement reviewed by TechCrunch, Waymo is required to supply detailed data post each mapping session, detailing entry and exit times, geographic locations, vehicle identification, trip identifiers, transaction types, driver-based unique identifiers, and vehicle license plate numbers.
The agreement also explicitly prohibits the use of autonomous vehicles for commercial goods transportation. Waymo halted its self-driving trucks program in 2023, redirecting its focus on passenger transportation instead. This clause aims to prevent the future utilization of commercial delivery, a concern for organizations such as The International Brotherhood of Teamsters.
Peter Finn, Vice President of Teamsters Western Region, has shown support for the measure. He expressed gratitude towards Mayor Lurie for facilitating cooperation among stakeholders and SFO Director Mike Nakornkhet for establishing a responsible technology implementation framework that considers safety, employment, and community impact.
Waymo had intensified its initiatives over a year ago to secure authorization for pickups and drop-offs at SFO, as noted in emails reported by TechCrunch.
The approval process is extensive and requires additional consent from the San Francisco Airport Commission, with the possibility of permits being granted at the airport’s discretion. This process is expected to mirror the procedural steps taken when Uber and Lyft initially sought access over a decade ago. Currently, Waymo has provisional access to map SFO airport roadways but will require a ground transportation permit for operational activities, which is still pending approval.
