Waymo has finally begun passenger flights at SFO Airport, but not to the terminals

Waymo has finally broken through its SFO impasse.

The company announced today that it will begin offering robo-taxi rides to select passengers traveling to and from San Francisco International Airport, a major step in Waymo’s efforts to increase its presence in the Bay Area. The company plans to gradually increase the number of passengers so that anyone who wants to can take a Waymo car at the airport, which the company says should happen “in the coming months.”

After years of back-and-forth negotiations with airport operators, Waymo finally signed a “test and operations pilot permit” with SFO in September 2025. Under the agreement, Waymo’s airport service will be rolled out in three phases, including testing of vehicles with a human driver, testing without a driver, and eventually the start of commercial service. Waymo has successfully completed the first two phases of that plan, and is now entering phase three, said Doug Yakel, a spokesman for the Serious Fraud Office (SFO).

But Waymo won’t have unrestricted access to SFO stations, at least not this year. Pick-ups and drop-offs will be conducted at the San Francisco International Airport Car Rental Center, accessible from the terminals via AirTrain. Additional locations, such as airport main terminals, will be made available later.

Yakel noted that starting in a rental parking lot allows airport operators to “isolate” Waymo’s robo-taxis from crowded passenger terminals, which he noted is similar to how the Phoenix airport initially rolled out Waymo access. He said the SFO may call for adjustments based on how well Waymo performs during this phase of the pilot program.

“This careful, intentional approach makes us comfortable when launching passenger operations, knowing full well that we can continue to make adjustments as we move forward,” Yakel said.

Waymo currently operates 24/7 robo-taxi services in the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, and Phoenix (with Miami just coming online). The company’s driverless services are also available in Atlanta and Austin, primarily through a partnership with Uber. So far, it serves only two airports: Phoenix and San Jose.

It’s been a rocky road to get to this point. According to San Francisco standardtalks between Waymo and SFO included denial memos, a “strongly worded” cease-and-desist letter, and contentious contract negotiations. But despite all that, Waymo still got the green light late last year.

Airports represent a huge money-making opportunity for robo-taxis, as airport trips account for an estimated 20% of human-driven ride-hailing trips. The announcement of the passenger flights comes just weeks before the Gulf region plans to host Super Bowl LX, as well as the FIFA World Cup later this year. Local officials said they hope visitors will use Waymo instead of rental cars to help keep the roads clear.