With Super Bowl LX just around the corner in the San Francisco Bay Area, and a massive influx of tourists and media expected, Alphabet's self-driving car company Waymo has chosen this moment to announce a significant milestone: officially launching...San Francisco International Airport (SFO) launched a fully driverless autonomous transportation service.
The service officially launched on Thursday (January 29th) in the United States, making San Francisco the third airport to be included in Waymo's network, following Phoenix Sky Harbor and San Jose Mineta. However, there are still some restrictions for travelers who want to experience taking a robot taxi to their flight.
Initially, it will be by invitation only, and the location will be limited to car rental centers.
Although nominally it's entering airports, Waymo's current strategy is quite cautious.
• Restricted objects:Initially, the service is only available to a "limited number of passengers," and not everyone can book a ride by opening the app. The official statement indicates that the number of available rides will be gradually increased in the coming months.
• Restricted locations:The pick-up and drop-off area currently does not include the terminal curbside; vehicles can only stop at the San Francisco International Airport car rental center to drop off passengers. This means that after disembarking, passengers will need to transfer to the airport's AirTrain to reach their respective terminals.
Waymo stated that it will expand its service to other airport locations, including airport gates, but has not yet given a specific timetable.
The Greater Bay Area is expanding, but security concerns remain.
With the addition of San Francisco International Airport, Waymo's service coverage in the San Francisco Bay Area now exceeds 260 square miles, demonstrating Waymo's growing confidence in its technology operating in complex urban environments.
However, Waymo is now facing new regulatory pressure. On Wednesday (January 28), Waymo confirmed that one of its self-driving vehicles struck and injured a child in Santa Monica on January 23. Although the injuries were reportedly minor, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has launched a formal investigation.
