"After years of negotiations and false starts, Waymo is now allowed to operate a robotaxi service to and from the San Francisco International Airport. The Alphabet-owned company said in a blog post Thursday it will begin offering access to the airport, known as SFO, to a select number of riders before offering it to all customers in the coming months."
"Waymo's SFO win comes as the company faces criticism and concerns about safety in some of the cities it operates. Waymo revealed Thursday that one of its robotaxis struck a child near an elementary school in Santa Monica. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investigating the January 23 incident, in which the child sustained minor injuries. Waymo is also being investigated by NHTSA and the National Transportation Safety Board over the illegal behavior of its robotaxis around school buses."
Waymo obtained permission to operate a robotaxi service to and from San Francisco International Airport, initially for a select group of riders before broader rollout. Pickups and dropoffs will occur at the SFO Rental Car Center, accessible via AirTrain, with plans to serve additional airport locations later. The company faces safety scrutiny, including an incident in Santa Monica where a robotaxi struck a child on January 23 and ongoing NHTSA and NTSB probes into school bus interactions. Airport access is critical to Waymo's model, which depends on geographic scale and high rider volume. Waymo has expanded fleet, cities, and freeway operations.
Read at TechCrunch
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