Waymo’s Driverless Taxis Are Likely Coming to San Francisco International Airport

San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie on Monday announced that driverless taxi company Waymo has been given permission to map the roadways around San Francisco International Airport (SFO).

Waymo, which is owned by Alphabet, the parent company of Google, now has at least 30 days of approval to have its mapping vehicles on the roads around SFO gathering data for a potential future launch.

While the approval doesn’t mean that travelers will be able to order a driverless ride any time soon, it does mean that the process to do so has started and they are likely on their way.

“This agreement is another example of how San Francisco is driving innovation while supporting our economic recovery,” Mayor Lurie said in a news release. “By working to expand transportation options to and from SFO, we’re continuing to make it easier for tourists and business travelers to experience our city, strengthen our economy, and welcome the world back to San Francisco.”

Waymo, which offers rides in self-driving cars without anyone at the wheel, is currently approved for just a handful of U.S. cities and only a very select few U.S. airports. Its driverless fleets are operating in some parts of Austin via a partnership with Uber, along with sections of San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Phoenix. The company is in the process of launching in Atlanta, San Jose, and Miami next.

Of those cities, only Phoenix’s Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX) currently allows Waymo to pick up passengers at some of its terminals. There has been some talk about Waymo serving Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), but so far it has only promised to take riders to transit stations that can get them to LAX.