San Jose Mineta To Let Waymo Autonomous Vehicles Pick Up Passengers

San Jose Mineta International Airport (SJC) in northern California has authorized Waymo to begin rolling out its autonomous automobile ride-hailing service at the airport.

SJC would become the second airport in the world where Waymo, a subsidiary of Google parent Alphabet, would be able to pick up passengers with autonomous, driverless vehicles. Waymo currently operates its electric cars at Phoenix International Airport (PHX), where it began rolling out service in 2022, and last year moved to offering 24/7 curbside drop-off and pick-up at the Arizona airport.

“Rollout will happen in stages, beginning with fully-autonomous testing with Waymo employees, followed by a commercial launch for the public later this year,” SJC said.

In 2022, Waymo was first allowed to operate at PHX overnight between 10 pm and 6 am, when roadways are less crowded. Last August, PHX began allowing Waymo to offer service at all times.

Passengers “will be able to hail a Waymo autonomous vehicle via the Waymo app upon landing,” SJC said. “The vehicle will arrive at one of SJC’s two ground transportation centers—in Terminal A or B—to dispatch the passenger to the destination of their choice within [Waymo's] San Francisco Bay Area service area.”

SJC did not say whether airport drop-offs would also be allowed.

Waymo currently operates autonomous ride-hailing services in designated areas in five cities: Atlanta, Austin, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Phoenix. SJC said the airport pick-up service will be the “first step” in Waymo’s planned deployment in San Jose.

“Our testing and eventual commercial deployment at the airport will help us offer a valuable service to travelers in San Jose and more of the Bay Area, as we help keep innovation on the move,” said Annabel Chang, Waymo’s head of U.S. state and local public policy.

San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan said Waymo “is an ideal mode of transportation that will help visitors move around the area smoothly and safely.”

SJC Director Mookie Patel added, “Waymo’s impending presence here speaks to the ease and simplicity of SJC’s design and layout and the local infrastructure that supports Waymo’s technology.”