Waymo in San Francisco
Yes, Waymo rides are available in San Francisco today. Book it in the Waymo app.
- Status
- Ride today
- Book with
- Waymo app
- Airport
- SFO offers pickup and drop-off for selected riders; SJC offers pickup and drop-off.
- Freeways
- Yes
- Since
- June 2024
Anyone in San Francisco can now get a Waymo ride, and booking happens in the Waymo app. Full public service across the Bay Area started in June 2024, and the vehicles can use freeways for longer journeys.
- Status: open to everyone
- Booking: the Waymo app, on iPhone or Android
- Serving riders since June 2024
- Freeway trips: yes, including longer journeys
- Airports: only select riders can use SFO, while everyone can use SJC
How Far the Waymo Service Area Extends
Waymo's Bay Area service covers about 348 square miles, so it reaches well beyond the city itself. It stretches starting at the Sunset in the west and running down the Peninsula to San Jose, and that means a trip may begin in one city and end in another.
Here are some of the places the zone reaches:
- The city itself, the Sunset neighborhood included
- The city of Daly City
- The Peninsula towns of Palo Alto and Mountain View
- The two cities of San Jose and Campbell
- San Jose's newest link to the train network is the Berryessa BART station
Freeway trips are available in San Francisco, which is handy when heading from the city toward the South Bay. Your pickup and drop-off both have to fall within the zone, so a destination right beyond the boundary will not show up as an option.
Reading the Zone Map in the App
For the best view of the zone, check the map in the Waymo app. It changes as new streets get added. Enter your pickup point and destination in the app, and it will quickly tell you whether both locations are covered.
Because the zone boundaries shift as the service expands, an older map found online may no longer be accurate. Checking the app before you plan your trip can keep you from having to walk to the nearest covered street.
Download the app for iPhone or Android to begin. Your ride will arrive in a Jaguar I-PACE or an Ojai.
Rides at SFO and SJC Airports
Each of the 2 airports has its own arrangement, and SFO access remains partly limited. In January 2026, Waymo started serving SFO for a small group of riders, and the airport confirms that only selected Waymo users can ride there for now. People in that group do not meet the car at their terminal. Take the AirTrain, which links the terminals with the Rental Car Center, and your car will meet you by the Rental Car Center or by the Grand Hyatt at SFO.
Waymo has served San Jose airport since November 2025, and every rider can use it.
| Airport | Riders eligible | Meeting point | Set-down point |
|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | Selected riders | Outside the Rental Car Center or the Grand Hyatt at SFO | The same places |
| SJC, Terminal A | All riders | Stop 9 | Departures curb |
| SJC, Terminal B | All riders | Outside the Rental Car Center | Departures curb |
The company says that terminal pickups at SFO are planned for later, though no date has been announced.
Robotaxi Options in San Francisco
A robotaxi drives itself and is booked through an app rather than hailed on the street. Waymo has the widest public service in San Francisco. Zoox has also opened to public riders through its Explorers program, and Tesla runs rides with a safety monitor on board.
- Waymo: anyone can ride since June 2024, using the Waymo app.
- Tesla Robotaxi: San Francisco rides began in July 2025, with a human safety monitor riding along in the vehicle. The company also picks riders up at SJC, at Stop 1 for Terminal A and Stop 8 for Terminal B, and drops riders off at the Departures curb.
- Zoox: through its Zoox Explorers program, it opened to public riders on November 18, 2025.
- Uber: some Uber employees ride with a safety operator, so the service is still in testing and is not open to the public.
Are Driverless Taxis in San Francisco Really Driverless?
With Waymo, the answer is yes. Nobody sits in the driver's seat, and that is what makes it different from a standard ride-hail car. Public riders across the Bay Area have had this experience since June 2024.
Tesla's Bay Area trips work differently. A trained person sits in the car, ready to take over if needed, so those rides are not driverless yet. It helps to know this in advance if you want a completely empty front seat.
Waymo Service in Other Cities
If you are travelling, you can use the same Waymo app in several other cities, and in some of them booking happens through Uber instead.
| City | Public launch | Where to book |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles | November 2024 | the Waymo app |
| San Diego | September 2026 | the Waymo app |
| Atlanta | June 2025 | the Uber app |
| Austin | March 2025 | the Uber app |
| Dallas | February 2026, by invitation at first | the Waymo app |
Several other companies operate in some of these same cities. Tesla has run rides in Austin since June 2025, and since April 2026 it has also offered rides with no safety driver aboard in Dallas and Houston. Avride has been available on Uber in Dallas since December 2025. Zoox is running tests in three cities: Los Angeles, San Diego, and Atlanta.