Waymo Knows the Way to San José (Airport)

Waymo’s driverless taxis are expected to begin offering rides to and from San José Mineta International Airport later this year, making the South Bay hub the first commercial airport in the state where the cars will roam.

Airport officials and the Google-owned company announced Thursday that Waymo’s autonomous vehicles gained approval to operate commercially on airport premises. Phoenix’s Sky Harbor International Airport was the first commercial hub to include the service.

The company plans to begin testing at SJC in the fall and offer rides to customers via its app later in the year, Waymo said in a statement.

“SJC couldn’t be happier that Waymo has received its official permit to operate here in San José, and we’re pleased that Waymo chose our Airport as only the second major airport in the world to offer its services to travelers,” Mookie Patel, the airport’s director of aviation, said in a statement.

The company announced in May that it got a green light from state regulators to begin commercial service in San José, as well as Los Gatos, Milpitas and larger portions of the Peninsula, but the company and city officials at the time didn’t share details on when service would begin.

A Waymo spokesperson told KQED on Thursday in an email that when commercial service begins at SJC later this year, “riders will be able to ride across an expanded territory from San José to San Francisco,” but didn’t offer specifics about what portions of the South Bay will be accessible via the service.

“It’s the perfect time for Waymo’s autonomous vehicles to begin to roll into San José, the Capital of Silicon Valley,” San José Mayor Matt Mahan said in a statement. “For decades, our region has shaped the future — and Waymo embodies our region’s spirit of innovation. With San José at the epicenter of the biggest sporting events of 2026, Waymo is an ideal mode of transportation that will help visitors move around the area smoothly and safely.”

Santa Clara’s Levi’s Stadium will be hosting Super Bowl LX in February, as well as some FIFA World Cup matches in the summer of 2026, and the SAP Center in downtown San José will host NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament West Regional matches in March.

“Waymo was born in Silicon Valley, and our testing and eventual commercial deployment at the airport will help us offer a valuable service to travelers in San José and more of the Bay Area, as we help keep innovation on the move,” Annabel Chang, Waymo’s head of U.S. state and local public policy, said in the company statement.

San Francisco International Airport has also been working toward authorizing Waymo service recently, with Mayor Daniel Lurie’s office announcing in March an agreement allowing the company to map SFO’s roadways.

“We continue to meet with Waymo on the terms of a permit for operations at SFO,” Doug Yakel, a spokesperson for SFO, said in an email. “No set timeline for this, but we are meeting actively on this.”

Waymo’s service area already includes the Palo Alto Airport, a publicly-owned, non-commercial single runway airport on the edge of the Baylands.