Waymo has been given period Case for its robotaxis.
The Temporary Permit, which was announced monday Evening by San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie, Kicked Off March 14.
Waymo Vehicles will not operate autonomously in the airport. Employees will manually drive the vehicles to map the area. However, The Permit Signals The Beginning of a Phaseed Approach to Waymo Eventally Operating Commercially there.
This Mapping Permit is an important step toward brings the waymo service to the millions of people who travel to and from the right year. Many of that travelers have placed sfo at the top of their service Exposition Wish List, According to a Statement from Nicole GAvel, Head of Business Development and Strategic Partnerships at Waymo.
The Permit Marks a Turnard for Waymo, which Failed to secure a permit in 2023 to map sfo. It also come with some strings attached, including data sharing, according to language in the agreement Viewed by Techcrunch. This language will likely be involved in future agrements with the city and san francisco airport commission as waymo pushes a pushes a pushes a phaased approach that starts with mapping, Followed Testing with Autonomous Testing with A Human Safety Operator, Driverless Testing, and Eventually Commercial Operations.
Waymo has to provide specific data after Each Mapping Session Per Vehicle, According to the Agreement that Techcrunch Viewed. This “Data Interface Agreement” Requires Waymo to Track Its Vehicles as They Enter and Exit the Airport and Provide the time, Geographic Location, Identification, Trip Identification Type, Driver-Based Unique Identifier, and Vehicle License Plate Number, According to the Agreement.
The agreement also prohibits waymo from using autonomous vehicles to move commercial goods. Waymo Shutted its self-Dr. Driving Trucks Program in 2023And the company has been reduced its efforts to shuttle people – not packages. However, the language protects against Future Applications of Commercial delivery, which has raised concerns among The International Brotherhood of Teamsters,
The restriction was sufficient to get the blessing of Peter Finn, Teamsters Western Region Vice President.
“We would like to thank mayor lurie for his Leadership in Bringing The Parties Togeether and Sfo Director Mike Nakornkhet for Creating A Template for the responsible implementation of new tax Account the impact on Safety, Jobs, and the Community, “Finn Said in a statement.
Waymo ramped up efforts More than a year ago To gain access to pickups and drop-offs at sfo, according to emails Viewed and reported by techcrunch at the time.
The Approval process is lengthy and requires a separete approval from the San Francisco Airport Commission. Technically, Permits Can Be Issued at the Airport’s Discretion, SFO Spokesperson Doug Yakel Told Techcrunch Last Year.
However, it is expected to mirror the process sfo officials went through it uber and lyft first sought access more than a decade ago. For now, Waymo have a temporary access agreement to map sfo airport roadways. Waymo will eventually need a ground transportation permit to operate at sfo, which has yet to be approved.