• Waymo received a temporary permit to manually map roadways at San Francisco International Airport (SFO).
  • The permit includes strict data-sharing requirements and prohibits commercial deliveries.
  • Future commercial operations will require additional approvals, including a ground transportation permit.

Waymo has secured a temporary permit to map roadways at San Francisco International Airport (SFO), marking an early step toward potential commercial robotaxi operations.

San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie announced the permit on Monday, and it took effect on March 14.

However, the permit comes with limitations, requiring manual vehicle operation and strict data-sharing conditions.

Under the agreement, Waymo employees will manually drive their vehicles around the airport to collect mapping data. While this doesn’t allow for autonomous operations, it signals the beginning of a phased process leading up to potential driverless service.

Nicole Gavel, Waymo’s head of business development and strategic partnerships, emphasized the significance of the milestone.

“This mapping permit is an important step toward bringing the Waymo service to the millions of people who travel to and from the city each year,” she said.

The permit represents a turnaround for Waymo after its unsuccessful attempt to obtain SFO mapping permissions in 2023.

However, it includes strict requirements, such as a "data interface agreement," which mandates that Waymo track vehicle activity, including entry and exit times, geographic locations, trip identifiers, and driver-based unique identifiers.

Additionally, the agreement explicitly prohibits Waymo from using autonomous vehicles for commercial deliveries, a point that was important to the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.

Peter Finn, Teamsters Western Region vice president, praised the permit's restrictions, crediting city officials for ensuring that safety, jobs, and the community were considered in the agreement.

While this permit allows mapping, Waymo will still need a ground transportation permit to operate commercially at SFO. The approval process is expected to mirror the lengthy one that Uber and Lyft faced over a decade ago.

For now, Waymo’s airport expansion remains in its early stages, with significant regulatory hurdles ahead.

Edited by Annette George