Waymo Cleared to Serve San Jose Airport

Waymo cleared to test and operate at San Jose Mineta

Waymo announced it will begin testing its robotaxis at San Jose Mineta International Airport in the coming months and is targeting commercial service by the end of the year. The approval caps years of negotiation and technical prep to bring autonomous rides to California airports.

The company has previously worked to serve airports in its home state, including an earlier back-and-forth with San Francisco’s airport in 2023. That effort stalled, though manual mapping permits were later granted as a first step toward broader service.

Waymo’s airport playbook is already proven in Phoenix. It launched curbside pickup and drop-off at Sky Harbor in late 2023 and expanded to 24/7 service in August 2024. The company says it has completed hundreds of thousands of trips to and from the Arizona airport and that the airport is a top destination for riders.

Waymo’s nationwide footprint is growing quickly, with more than 2,000 robotaxis across multiple markets.

• Around 800 vehicles in the Bay Area
• 500 in Los Angeles, 400 in Phoenix, 100 in Austin, and dozens in Atlanta

This week Waymo also revealed plans to expand to Denver and Seattle, and has previously announced commercial launches planned in Dallas, Miami, and Washington, D.C. The company recently won approval to begin testing in New York City as well.

Why airports matter and what’s required

Airports are high-value targets for robotaxi operators: predictable origin-destination flows, steady demand cycles, and visible use cases for travelers. But they also present operational challenges—curbside rules, tight security perimeters, dynamic traffic patterns, and the need for precise mapping and stakeholder coordination.

Success requires more than autonomous driving tech. Operators must align with airport authorities, model passenger surge events, design clear pickup/drop-off zones, and prove safe interactions with other road users and ground operations.

What this means for stakeholders

Airports and city planners should treat robotaxi rollouts like complex service launches. Use data to set curbside capacity, simulate peak-hour queues, and develop phased approvals that balance convenience with safety. Transit agencies and private operators can benefit from scenario testing and real-world pilot metrics before scaling.

QuarkyByte’s approach translates this into measurable steps: mapping and simulating curb flows, modeling rider demand across flight schedules, and designing KPIs to track wait times, utilization, and incident response. For airports, that means faster approvals, smoother operations, and clearer evidence to justify wider robotaxi deployment.

For travelers, Waymo’s San Jose rollout is another sign that autonomous mobility is moving from pilot projects toward daily, practical use. Watch for phased testing this year, with commercial rides likely to follow before year-end if operations go as planned.