Waymo reportedly tests SFO terminal drop-offs under a staged airport permit

Why it matters

Terminal curb access would eliminate the AirTrain transfer that separates Waymo's SFO service from the airport terminals. At SFO, employee testing and paid passenger service require separate approvals, so the reported vehicle sighting does not establish that customers can use the curb.

Jane Manchun Wong (@wongmjane) reported on October 4th that Waymo is testing curbside drop-offs at San Francisco International Airport, citing a now-deleted post by a Waymo employee. The post may point to a new phase of the airport pilot, but it does not prove Waymo can yet drop paying riders at terminal curbs.

https://x.com/wongmjane/status/2106852529636290697?s=46

Wong is a security researcher and reverse engineer known for uncovering unreleased features in major apps. Her report on X makes a specific claim about testing, while an account of the deleted post describes a Waymo vehicle at a covered curb with luggage beside it and the caption, "Very smooth experience 20 mins to SFO." The screenshot does not establish which airport location the vehicle was using. The image could show an existing stop or a terminal-area site, according to reporting on the post and SFO permit.

Waymo's published SFO rider instructions still direct customers to two places: the Rental Car Center, about a 15-minute AirTrain ride from the terminals, or the Grand Hyatt at SFO, about 10 minutes away. The airport service is also limited to a subset of riders. Those are the customer options Waymo lists; the employee post does not show that a terminal stop is open to customers.

SFO approved Waymo's pilot permit on September 16th, 2025. Waymo said operations would proceed in phases and initially use the Kiss & Fly area, with other airport locations to be explored later. SFO announced the start of passenger service on January 29th, 2026, at the Rental Car Center. The airport's announcement describes the launch as the final phase of a pilot begun in September 2025.

On October 4th, autonomous-vehicle researcher Ethan McKanna posted a copy of Waymo's 46-page non-exclusive commercial ground transportation testing and operating pilot permit for SFO. McKanna said he obtained it through public-records requests and that it was one of many such documents. A review of the permit by EV says it draws a firm line around terminal access: Waymo may map terminal arrivals and departures roads, but autonomous driving, pickups and drop-offs there require separate authorization from the airport director. The permit also bars vehicles from airport curbsides unless the director expressly authorizes them. The document reviewed by EV does not include that curbside authorization, and it does not establish whether the director issued a separate one.

The permit describes a step-by-step approval path for additional airport zones. Each requires a written Notice to Proceed for three stages: testing with a human driver and no passengers; autonomous rides for Waymo employees and airport staff; and paid rides for customers. Being named in the permit does not itself clear a location for public service. The director is not required to approve any stage.

Among the locations identified for possible operations are Courtyard G, Level 5 of the Domestic Garage and North Link Road. The permit makes further approval a condition for passenger pickups and drop-offs at those sites. It also sets operational constraints: testing and mapping are capped at 10 vehicles in a designated area unless the director allows more, and the permit can be revoked at any time. Its current term ends June 30th, 2027, according to the permit review.

For the existing SFO locations, the airport approved employee and airport-staff autonomous rides on November 20th, 2025, and paid service on January 27th, 2026, two days before the public launch, the review says. At this airport, testing and customer launch are separate milestones. If the deleted post depicts an employee ride at a newly designated site, it could fit the second phase; it could also show a trip to a location already in use. The available image does not settle which.

Terminal curb service would remove the AirTrain leg and bring Waymo closer to the conventional airport ride-hailing experience. The company already lists terminal curbside service at Phoenix Sky Harbor and San Antonio International Airport, while its SFO directions remain centered on off-terminal stops. Each airport has its own access rules, and SFO's permit makes the approval process part of the operating challenge: a successful drive alone cannot bypass it.

For travelers, the current instructions remain the useful guide: request a Waymo to or from the Rental Car Center or Grand Hyatt, not a terminal curb. Wong's post points to possible testing. It does not announce a service expansion or establish that terminal drop-offs have been authorized.