Waymo has been granted permission to map roadways at the San Francisco International Airport (SFO) through a temporary permit – a pivotal step in the Alphabet company’s quest to capitalize on potential opportunities for its robotaxis.
The temporary permit initiated on March 14 was announced Monday evening by San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie.
While Waymo vehicles won’t function autonomously at the airport, employees will manually drive them for mapping purposes. This permit marks the initial phase towards Waymo’s eventual commercial operations at SFO.
Nicole Gavel, head of business development and strategic partnerships at Waymo, stated, “This mapping permit is a significant step towards introducing the Waymo service to the millions of travelers to and from the city annually,” expressing optimism for expansion at SFO.
This turnaround follows Waymo’s unsuccessful attempt to secure a permit in 2023 to map SFO, now accompanied by data sharing requirements as outlined in the agreement with the city and San Francisco Airport Commission.
Waymo must furnish specific data after each mapping session per vehicle, adhering to the “data interface agreement” guidelines. The agreement also prohibits autonomous vehicles for commercial goods transportation, emphasizing Waymo’s focus on passenger transportation.
The restriction, which addresses concerns from The International Brotherhood of Teamsters, garners approval from Peter Finn, Teamsters Western Region vice president.
Waymo’s efforts to secure access to SFO for pickups and drop-offs began over a year ago, with a lengthy approval process involving the San Francisco Airport Commission expected in the near future.
SFO’s spokesperson Doug Yakel highlighted the discretionary issuance of permits at the airport, mirroring the rigorous process Uber and Lyft underwent over a decade ago. Currently, Waymo has a temporary agreement to map SFO roadways but awaits further approval for ground transportation operations.
