Waymo will take its first foothold in the South Bay by launching robotaxi service at Mineta San Jose International Airport, after airport authorities authorized its operations at terminals.
The Mountain View company, spun off from Google in 2017, said it would start testing at the airport this fall, and begin taking paid fares later this year.
San Jose city manager Jennifer Maguire described the coming driverless service as “a new innovative option in how passengers travel to and from the San Jose Mineta International Airport.”
According to an announcement from the airport, Waymo robotaxis can pick up passengers at Terminal A or B, but their destinations must fall within Waymo’s Bay Area service zone, which includes much of the Peninsula from Burlingame northward, and all of San Francisco.
Waymo in May received approval from state authorities to operate in the South Bay, including most of San Jose, but did not say when and where it would launch services there. Waymo did not immediately respond to questions about when it may offer rides from the San Jose airport to locations in the South Bay and lower Peninsula.
The company initially faced significant challenges in bringing its pioneering technology to Bay Area streets and highways, with some local leaders chafing against their lack of authority over where the vehicles operate. San Francisco officials fought bitterly against Waymo and now-defunct Cruise robotaxis from General Motors, after their vehicles repeatedly blocked traffic and emergency vehicles, with Cruise the main perpetrator.
Since then, San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie has lent support to Waymo, and the company has extended service down the Peninsula. The company also is working to offer robotaxi service at San Francisco International Airport.