Waymo has been given the green light to run its autonomous vehicle fleet in nearly all of San José, marking the first time in the city’s history that a commercial driverless service can operate on its streets.
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Waymo, a subsidiary of Alphabet, established a major footprint in San Francisco and had sought to expand further into the Peninsula and the South Bay by gaining approval from the California Department of Motor Vehicles and the California Public Utilities Commission, the agencies responsible for regulating robotaxis.
“It’s about time autonomous vehicles rolled into San José,” Mayor Matt Mahan said in a news release. “For decades, our region has shaped the future — and now, the ride to work is as forward-thinking as the breakthroughs happening at the office.”
While self-driving vehicles have faced their fair share of criticism and scrutiny over crashes, the DMV had recently approved Waymo’s permits to operate on San José streets, citing “the company’s attention to continuous evaluation and improvement of its technology.”
The permit requires the company to meet strict safety and accessibility requirements that include protections for passengers and pedestrians.
Before the approval of Waymo’s permit and application, San José officials had sought to improve transportation options, including better ways to connect residents to other parts of the Bay Area.
For example, the city has explored creating a futuristic driverless vehicle network to shuttle travelers between Mineta International Airport and Diridon Station. But while the City Council has voted to continue studying the project, it acknowledged that autonomous vehicle technology could impact its necessity.
Ahead of the commission’s decision, Mahan and Rep. Sam Liccardo had penned letters of support for the company’s expansion, highlighting the need for safe transportation modalities ahead of 2026, when Silicon Valley hosts the FIFA World Cup and Super Bowl LX.
“We’re grateful for the support of Mayor Mahan and those in San José who want to make streets safer, transportation more accessible, and downtown even more successful,” said Waymo Global Head of Public Policy Michelle Peacock. “We’re looking forward to enhancing more of the Bay Area’s transportation network, and being a part of the San José community in the future.”