Waymo launches robotaxi service at San Francisco International Airport

Alphabet-owned autonomous vehicle company Waymo has officially launched its robotaxi service to and from San Francisco International Airport (SFO). According to a Thursday blog post by the company, Waymo will begin offering access to SFO to a select number of riders before offering it to all customers in the coming months. For now, passenger pickups and drop-offs will occur at the SFO Rental Car Center, which is accessible via the airport’s AirTrain transit system. Waymo also plans to serve additional airport locations in the future.

The launch follows a multi-year effort by Waymo to secure operational permits at SFO. The company failed to secure a permit to map SFO in 2023. Following renewed negotiations, Waymo was granted a permit to map SFO in March 2025. By September, SFO and Waymo signed a testing and operations pilot permit, bringing the company closer to commercial operations at the airport. This expansion builds on Waymo’s footprint, which covers most of the San Francisco Bay Area and down into Silicon Valley, where it has access to the San Jose Airport. The company also operates in parts of Atlanta, Austin, Los Angeles, Miami, and most of Phoenix, including curbside service to the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport.

However, the SFO expansion coincides with increased regulatory scrutiny over safety. Waymo is being investigated by the NHTSA and the National Transportation Safety Board over the illegal behavior of its robotaxis around school buses. The NHTSA is the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (the US federal road safety regulator), and the NTSB is the National Transportation Safety Board (the US federal transport safety investigator). Additionally, the NHTSA is investigating a January 23 incident where one of Waymo’s robotaxis struck a child near an elementary school in Santa Monica.

Securing access to major transit hubs remains a critical component of Waymo’s business model. “Serving rides to and from San Francisco International Airport delivers one of the most requested features for our riders and further deepens our relationship with the city,” said Tekedra Mawakana, co-CEO of Waymo, in a statement.

Why it matters

Access to major transit hubs like SFO is essential for Waymo’s business model, which relies on achieving geographic scale and high rider volume to be viable.