Waymo, the pioneering autonomous-vehicle company that emerged victorious from bitter battles over robot taxis in San Francisco before expanding to the Peninsula, will begin testing in the South Bay and preparing to launch at San Francisco International Airport, it announced this week.
Approval from the California Department of Motor Vehicles opened the way for Waymo’s fully autonomous operations in the South Bay, including most of San Jose, the Mountain View company said late Monday on X.
“While the public won’t have access at this time, we’re working closely with local officials, emergency responders, and communities to safely expand driving operations,” Waymo said.
The company did not immediately respond to questions about when and where it planned to offer fare service in the South Bay.
San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan celebrated Waymo’s move, which followed its $5.6 billion funding infusion in October, led by Google parent Alphabet, with added investments from Bay Area venture capital giant Andreessen Horowitz and others.
“Waymo embodies our region’s spirit of innovation — so it’s about time they joined us here in the Capital of Silicon Valley!” Mahan exclaimed Monday on X.
The mayor’s welcome represented a far different response than the initial official reaction in San Francisco. There, robotaxis from Waymo and its former rival Cruise, both green-lighted by state officials to use public roads while seeking to refine technology with significant deficiencies, wrought havoc and enraged local officials.
Cruise, reeling from numerous reports that its cars were obstructing emergency vehicles and bottlenecking traffic, and an incident where a woman was hit and dragged, was shut down in San Francisco by the DMV in October 2023. Soon after, Cruise parent General Motors said it was pulling out of robotaxis and would stop funding Cruise.
San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie announced Tuesday that San Francisco International Airport had last Friday approved Waymo to start mapping roadways throughout the airport. “While no decision has been made on passenger operations, this mapping process will help inform such decisions in the future,” Lurie’s office said in a statement.
The airport, owned by San Francisco, issued a stronger statement, calling the mapping “the first step in bringing the service to the airport.”
Waymo, spun off from Google in 2016 to become a subsidiary of Alphabet, said this month it provides more than 200,000 paid rides per week to customers in its existing markets, including San Francisco and Los Angeles.
The ability of state regulators to allow robotaxis despite local government opposition created a bumpy ride for the budding autonomous-taxi industry. Oakland in 2022 in a letter to the state utilities commission — which joins the DMV in regulating the vehicles — raised concerns over robotaxis’ ability to comply with traffic codes. Police have no authority to cite the cars for breaking traffic laws, the letter noted.
City of San Jose transportation spokesman Colin Heyne noted the following year that the city had little influence over robotaxi deployment, and said, “building relationships with these companies is the best we can do now, hoping that they engage with us in a positive way.”
In August, over opposition from San Mateo County, Waymo launched fare service on the Peninsula, in Daly City, Broadmoor and Colma.
San Mateo County Board of Supervisors president David Canepa said Tuesday that he had pushed back against Waymo over safety concerns and a lack of substantive communication between Waymo and the county and cities.
“But much has changed in the past year as we have had very meaningful conversations about safety and how Waymo will conduct business in San Mateo County,” Canepa said. “I’ve had the opportunity to ride in a Waymo robotaxi many times and can say I’ve enjoyed the experience. However, I will never hesitate to act in favor of county residents if Waymo poses a threat to them in any way.”
Earlier this month, Waymo said it would start carrying certain passengers in a 27-square-mile zone including Mountain View, Los Altos, Palo Alto and areas of Sunnyvale. The company planned to start with a select group of residents before expanding to other riders.