While Waymos are a regular sight around San Francisco, their range of operation is still limited. Earlier this year, the city announced the autonomous car company had received permits to begin mapping the area around SFO, and now they’ve made another step towards offering rides to the airport.
Mayor Daniel Laurie recently announced that SFO had signed a Testing and Operations Pilot Permit for Waymo’s self-driving cars to operate at the airport. The permit will allow Waymos to enter certain roads at the airport for testing.
“At SFO, our priority is making travel safe, sustainable, and reliable,” said SFO Director Mike Nakornkhet. “The approval of this permit with Waymo provides passengers with a new and innovative option that delivers the dependability and ease travelers expect when coming through SFO, the gateway to San Francisco. We thank Mayor Lurie for his leadership in supporting innovative transportation choices that enhance the travel experience and strengthen our tourism industry.”
The testing will undergo three phases, starting with a trained specialist behind the wheel. Then, Waymo employees and certain SFO staff will test the vehicles as passengers before piloting commercial operations. The phases for testing mark a significant step forward in Waymo’s provision of rides to and from the airport, as many San Franciscans and tourists continue to use the autonomous vehicles daily.
Mayor Daniel Laurie hopes that allowing Waymos at SFO will help the city’s tourism, as many people eagerly hail the autonomous cars when visiting.
_“Across San Francisco, we are expanding safe, reliable, and modern transportation options—supporting our city’s economic comeback, boosting our tourism industry, and connecting residents and visitors to everything our city has to offer,” said Mayor Lurie. “We announced in March that we wanted visitors to be able to ride in a Waymo as soon as they arrived in San Francisco, and today, we are taking another important step to get there.”
Read the full press release here for more information about Waymo coming to SFO.