Waymo Seeks to Introduce Autonomous Taxi Service in San Francisco, Emails Reveal

In a drive to enter the promising market of airport robotaxi services, Waymo is stepping up its initiative to secure permissions for facilitating rides to and from San Francisco International Airport, as revealed by TechCrunch through email correspondences accessed via a Freedom of Information Act request.

Waymo holds the necessary licenses allowing its robotaxi operations to function round the clock across San Francisco, some areas of the Peninsula, and routes leading to the airport.

However, obtaining the green light for airport services necessitates additional endorsement from the San Francisco Airport Commission. While the airport has the autonomy to issue such permits, SFO spokesperson Doug Yakel notes the process isn’t straightforward and is reminiscent of the challenges faced when Uber and Lyft initially proposed airport services over ten years ago.

To offer its services at SFO, Waymo needs to acquire a ground transportation permit, a process that is still pending. “Considering this is an unprecedented form of transit here, we need to introduce a new category of permits, akin to the approach we took with taxi-alternatives like Uber and Lyft a decade back,” Yakel explained in a statement.

Despite encountering hurdles, such as a thwarted attempt in 2023 to secure a mapping permit for the airport, Waymo is determined to navigate through the intricate approval procedure.

Correspondence shared among Waymo executives, SFO General Manager Ivar Satero, SFO Commission officials, and the office of Mayor London Breed mainly focuses on organizing planning discussions, both virtual and face-to-face.

Significant discussions began to materialize in April, following Waymo Chief Product Officer Saswat Panigrahi’s email to Satero on April 15, highlighting a keen interest to collaborate and integrate Waymo’s technology and services with the airport, as inferred from the email contents. Nonetheless, the mayor’s office has yet to make a public comment.

“Our operations in San Francisco and experience at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport bolster our commitment. There’s a strong demand from our Bay Area users for services to SFO, and we’re eager to collaborate with airport authorities to make this a reality,” remarked Panigrahi in his correspondence.

A Waymo spokesperson acknowledged early-stage talks with SFO about initiating “noncommercial mapping and pilot driving with a human driver” at the airport premises.

“Our successful partnership with Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport in deploying our Waymo One service sets the stage for a similar phased, collaborative approach with SFO,” the spokesperson confirmed.

Waymo’s initial step towards operational approval involves conducting digital mapping of airport roadways. Efforts to obtain mapping approval in 2023 were put on hold by the airport’s landside operations director, Abubakar Azam, who suggested postponing until Waymo had mapped adjacent cities and received autonomous operation authorization from the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) for San Mateo County.

This CPUC endorsement was eventually granted in March 2024. “We are yet to sanction this initiative as we prefer Waymo to first establish a record of safely serving our neighboring communities before we can consider allowing any operations, including mapping, within airport bounds,” Yakel added, highlighting the cautious stance taken by airport authorities and the commission towards Waymo’s advancements.