Pilot program brings Waymo autonomous cars to SFO

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — Bay Area travelers and tourists may soon have a new option to get to and from San Francisco International Airport (SFO). On Tuesday, Mayor Daniel Lurie announced that a newly signed pilot permit will allow Waymo to begin testing autonomous vehicle operations at the airport.

The permit for Waymo operations at the airport will be rolled out in three phases. In phase one, Waymo vehicles will be tested in autonomous mode with a human driver behind the wheel. Phase two will remove the human driver from the autonomous vehicles, but rides will only be open to Waymo employees and “designated airport staff,” the mayor’s office said.

In phase three of the pilot, Waymo will open its commercial operations to paying customers as passengers.

“We have tourists from around the world that want to try out our autonomous vehicles and they’re soon going to have that opportunity starting right when they land at our great airport,” Lurie said in Tuesday’s announcement.

Waymo, which is headquartered in Mountain View, began mapping SFO’s roadways in March when Mayor Lurie approved a temporary access agreement with the company.

No timetable for the full rollout was released by officials, but Lurie noted that the public would be kept updated “every step of the way.”

Earlier this month, San Jose Mineta International Airport (SJC) announced that Waymo had received authorization to operate commercially at its airport. No official launch date has been set for the South Bay airport, but airport officials said it would be “later this year.”

The Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport (OAK) confirmed to KRON4 that it has been in contact with Waymo and Tesla, but there was no further information on potential permitting for their ride-hailing services.