Waymo now approved to take passengers to and from SFO

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — Select passengers will now be able to take an autonomous Waymo vehicle to the San Francisco International Airport.

SFO announced on Thursday that it has approved Waymo to begin services to and from the airport. This comes after a pilot program launched in September 2025 to make sure operations at the airport were safe. Select passengers can now begin to take Waymo rides to SFO as of Thursday.

“We see ourselves as an airport serving a region of innovation and so it’s only natural that a new mode of transportation is available here at SFO,” said Doug Yakel, SFO spokesperson.

This comes after a pilot program launched in September 2025 to make sure operations at the airport were safe. Select passengers can now begin to take Waymo rides to SFO as of Thursday.

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“As a gateway for visitors from around the world, SFO’s launch of Waymo passenger pickup adds a safe, reliable, and convenient way to get to and from San Francisco,” San Francisco Mayor Lurie said. “With airport service beginning, residents and travelers will experience the innovation that defines our city-while supporting San Francisco’s continued economic recovery.”

Waymo will now be making pickups and drop-offs at the Rental Car Center Level 1 Curbside, which can be accessed by the AirTrain.

“That is really by design to ensure that if there are any hiccups in this process, it really doesn’t affect the roadway traffic around our terminals,” said Yakel.

Uber, Lyft and Taxi drivers do not love this new option. The San Francisco Taxi Workers Alliance pointing to Waymo vehicles that got stuck in San Francisco intersections during a massive power outage last month.

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“Waymo should answer questions about their performance during the power outage, before getting additional permission to expand,” said Evelyn Engel with the San Francisco Taxi Workers Alliance.

Before this approval, the first phase of the program was testing the Waymos at the airport in autonomous mode with a trained specialist behind the wheel. The second phase was testing the service with Waymo employees and airport staff as passengers.

Waymo began driving on Bay Area freeways in November.

In December, San Jose Mineta International Airport became the first in California to allow passengers to be dropped off via Waymo.

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