Exclusive: Waymo wants to bring robotaxis to SFO, emails show

Waymo is ramping up efforts to gain access to a lucrative robotaxi use case: pickups and drop-offs at the San Francisco International Airport, according to emails viewed by TechCrunch and obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request. 

Waymo already has the required permits to commercially operate its robotaxi service 24 hours a day in the city of San Francisco, parts of the Peninsula and highways that reach the airport. 

Access to the airport requires a separate approval from the San Francisco Airport Commission. Technically, permits can be issued at the airport’s discretion, according to SFO spokesperson Doug Yakel. However, this will not be simple and may mirror the process SFO officials went through when Uber and Lyft first sought access more than a decade ago. 

Waymo would need a ground transportation permit to operate at SFO, which has yet to be approved. “Given that this is a new mode of transportation, we would need to create a new permit structure, similar to what we did 10 years ago for companies like Uber and Lyft,” Yakel wrote in response to questions. 

Despite the challenges, and an unsuccessful effort in 2023 to receive a permit to map the airport, Waymo is pressing ahead with what promises to be a lengthy process. 

The email exchanges between Waymo executives, San Francisco Airport General Manager Ivar Satero, SFO Commission members and Mayor London Breed’s office are informational in nature and generally center on planning and scheduling virtual and in-person meetings.

And while the material viewed by TechCrunch suggests conversations were happening as far back as March, the first high-level outreach kicked off April 15 when Waymo Chief Product Officer Saswat Panigrahi sent Satero an email that expressed interest in meeting to discuss the company’s “mission, technology, operations, and safety approach,” according to the email. The mayor’s transportation office did not respond to a request for comment.

“We have experience offering service in San Francisco and operating at Sky Harbor Airport in Phoenix,” the email continues. “Waymo riders in the Bay Area consistently ask Waymo to provide service to SFO. We would like to partner with airport leaders and staff to work towards that future goal. Please let us know what your availability is to connect and we will plan accordingly. Thank you for your time and consideration.”

A Waymo spokesperson confirmed that the company has had “preliminary discussions” with the San Francisco International Airport to begin what is described as “noncommercial mapping and driving operations with a human behind the wheel at the airport.” 

“Similar to how we’ve successfully partnered with Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport to offer our Waymo One ride-hailing service, we’ll proceed with SFO in a phased and collaborative manner,” the Waymo spokesperson added in an emailed statement. 

The first procedural step would be for Waymo to conduct digital mapping of the airport’s roadways. Waymo attempted to get permission to map in 2023 from Abubakar Azam, the airport’s director of landside operations. A month later, Azam postponed the mapping permit, according to emails recounted in a report from Mission Local. Azam said he wanted to delay that permit until Waymo completed mapping for at least the cities surrounding SFO and secured autonomous operations approval from the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) for San Mateo County. 

That CPUC approval occurred in March 2024. 

“We have yet to approve this process, as we would first like to see them gain more experience safely serving our surrounding communities before entertaining any activity, even mapping, at the airport,” Yakel said, adding that SFO officials and commission members are monitoring Waymo’s development.