Alphabet's Waymo has begun offering fully autonomous rides to San Francisco International Airport, marking the third major airport in its network. The service launches with a select group of riders and pickups limited to the Rental Car Center, with plans for broader access soon. This expansion comes amid scrutiny from a recent incident involving a child pedestrian in Santa Monica.
On January 29, 2026, Waymo initiated fully autonomous robotaxi service at San Francisco International Airport (SFO), expanding its operations in the Bay Area. Initially restricted to a select number of riders, the service will gradually open to the general public over the coming months. Pickups and drop-offs are currently available only at the SFO Rental Car Center, accessible via the AirTrain from the terminals. Waymo stated in a blog post that it 'plans to serve additional airport locations like the terminals in the future.' This makes SFO the third airport served by Waymo's driverless rides, following Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport and San Jose Mineta International Airport. The company now covers more than 260 square miles across the San Francisco Bay Area, operating 24/7 via its app without a waitlist since June 2024. Freeway access for passengers was added in November 2025. Waymo's fleet consists of all-electric Jaguar I-Pace vehicles, with rides summonable through the Waymo app or Uber in some cities. The expansion aligns with Waymo's broader growth, including a new 239,000-square-foot factory in Phoenix to produce up to 2,000 more vehicles. However, the launch coincides with heightened attention to safety concerns. On January 23, 2026, a Waymo robotaxi in Santa Monica, California, struck a young pedestrian near an elementary school during drop-off hours. The child, who sustained minor injuries, suddenly entered the roadway from behind a tall SUV. Waymo's vehicle detected the pedestrian and braked hard, reducing speed from approximately 17 mph to under 6 mph before contact. The child stood up and walked to the sidewalk, and Waymo called 911, pulling over until cleared by law enforcement. No safety driver was present, as operations in Los Angeles are fully autonomous. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has opened an investigation into whether the vehicle exercised appropriate caution near the school, including adherence to speed limits, and Waymo's post-incident response. Waymo reported the event voluntarily and pledged full cooperation, emphasizing that its safety systems 'demonstrate the critical value' in such scenarios. A peer-reviewed model cited by Waymo suggests a human driver would have hit the pedestrian at about 14 mph. This incident follows other challenges, such as vehicles struggling with construction zones and a separate NHTSA probe into Waymo cars passing school buses in Austin and Atlanta. Despite these, Waymo's Safety Impact report through March 2025 claims its technology results in 88% fewer serious injury crashes and significant reductions in pedestrian, cyclist, and motorcyclist injuries compared to human drivers over 71 million autonomous miles.
