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Waymo, Alphabet Inc.’s autonomous driving unit, is expanding its footprint in the Bay Area, securing a permit to begin testing its robotaxi service at San Francisco International Airport (SFO), according to an announcement made Tuesday by the company and San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie. This move signals a significant step forward in the commercialization of autonomous vehicle technology, promising to revolutionize transportation to and from one of the world’s busiest airports.
The rollout will be phased, beginning with employee testing soon and eventually welcoming Bay Area riders. Initially, vehicles will operate with safety drivers onboard, prepared to intervene if necessary. The transition to fully driverless operation will occur gradually as Waymo gains further operational experience and regulatory approvals.
Waymo already operates its robotaxi service in San Mateo County and San Francisco but previously lacked the authorization to transport passengers directly to or from SFO. This new permit addresses that limitation, solidifying Waymo’s presence in the region. The expansion follows similar initiatives at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (2022) and San Jose Mineta International Airport earlier this month, demonstrating Waymo’s strategy of strategically integrating its autonomous driving technology into established transportation hubs.
Last month, Mayor Lurie authorized Waymo to operate a limited passenger service on Market Street, a prominent thoroughfare that had previously restricted such services. These developments represent a culmination of Waymo’s expansion strategy. Their general robotaxi service is currently available in Phoenix, parts of the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, Austin, and Atlanta. The company also partners with Uber to bring taxi services to Atlanta and Austin.
This announcement comes as competition intensifies in the autonomous vehicle space. Tesla, led by Elon Musk, initiated a robotaxi service in Austin in June, employing human safety supervisors onboard. The electric vehicle giant is also reportedly in discussions with San Francisco Bay Area airports, seeking to expand its own autonomous transportation services. Tesla currently holds a permit to operate a paid car service in San Francisco; however, it is not yet authorized to operate a driverless ride-hailing business in the city. The company’s current vehicles require human oversight due to the current capabilities of its autopilot and “Full Self-Driving” systems, which have faced scrutiny regarding safety and reliability.
Waymo and Tesla’s diverging approaches to autonomous driving highlight the complexities of navigating the regulatory landscape and achieving true Level 5 autonomy – a fully autonomous system requiring no human intervention. Waymo focuses on a geofenced approach, operating in carefully mapped and controlled environments, while Tesla pursues a more generalizable approach, relying heavily on camera-based vision and neural networks.
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