Areas are approximate, traced Oct 13, 2026 from operators' published maps. The app has the exact boundary. The white line is a sample trip on real streets.
Approximate areas. Check the app. © OpenStreetMap
Can I ride Waymo in San Francisco Bay Area?
Waymo is the one company in San Francisco where anyone with its app can book a driverless ride and pay a fare, and service has been open to all since Jun 25, 2024.
- Status
- Driverless
- Since
- Book in
- Waymo app
- Last checked
Riding Waymo in San Francisco Bay Area
The city, the Peninsula and the South Bay form one service area, so a trip can start in the Mission and end in San Jose. Measured from Waymo's own map, that area comes to about 333.6 sq mi. California's CPUC has granted Waymo all four of its autonomous vehicle permits, including Driverless Deployment, the one that allows fares. Neither Zoox nor Tesla holds it.
Book in the Waymo app, since there's no Uber or Lyft route to a Waymo in San Francisco. Riders must be 18 to ride alone, and teen accounts aren't offered here. San Jose is the easier airport, with dropoffs at the Departures curb since Nov 12, 2025, while SFO, added Jan 29, 2026, is open only to a limited number of riders, who use the Rental Car Center or the Grand Hyatt at SFO. Bay Area freeway rides began in Nov 2025 and were paused in May 2026, and the restoration Waymo promised on Jul 29, 2026 still has no confirmed date, so expect surface streets.
Obi's study of late-2025 Bay Area trips put Waymo at $5.72 per km, with an average wait of 5.74 minutes. Waymo Premier, an invite-only plan at $29.99 a month with priority pickups and 10% Waymo Cash back, launched with select riders here. Other robotaxi names in town sell something else: free invite-only Zoox rides in a few neighborhoods, Tesla trips with a human driver, and Nuro and Lucid cars that carry only Uber staff.
The details
- Status
- DriverlessReportedOpen in the Waymo app across San Francisco, the Peninsula and San Jose, which Waymo treats as one 'San Francisco Bay Area' service area.
- Since
- Jun 25, 2024the waitlist was removed, so anyone in San Francisco can download the app and ride. The Peninsula and San Jose came later
- Book in
- Waymo app
- Service area
- San Francisco, the Peninsula and the South Bay. In San Jose, service covers the city center, including Santana Row, Westfield Valley Fair, and the Newhall, College Park and Cory neighborhoods. Over 260 sq mi as of Nov 2025.
- Freeways
- UsedFreeway rides began Nov 12, 2025. They paused (publicly confirmed May 21, 2026, by TechCrunch and SFist) after seven vehicles entered freeway construction lanes on May 18, 2026, the subject of NHTSA recall 26E035000. On Jul 29, 2026, Waymo said the Bay Area would follow Phoenix 'in the coming days', and the SF Chronicle reported that Waymo says its robotaxis are ready for Bay Area freeways again. No confirmed restoration date for the Bay Area (reported).
- Ages
- 18 and older to ride alone, with no teen accounts offered here
- SFO
- ServedLimited riders only. Pickup and drop-off at the Rental Car Center or the Grand Hyatt at SFO (via AirTrain), not the terminal curbs. Started Jan 29, 2026.
- SJC
- ServedTerminal A: pickup at Stop 9. Terminal B: pickup outside the Rental Car Center. Drop-offs at the Departures curb. Started Nov 12, 2025.
How a ride works
Book in the Waymo app. The step-by-step riding guide covers finding the car, unlocking it, starting the ride and getting help.
Other operators in San Francisco Bay Area
- Driverless, waitlist
- Safety driver
- Safety driver
Timeline
- Waymo resumes freeway rides, starting with Phoenix. LA and the Bay Area are next. Source
- Waymo confirms it has suspended freeway rides in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Phoenix and Miami over construction-zone behavior. Source
- Waymo starts SFO rides for select riders, with pickups at the Rental Car Center. Source
- Waymo begins freeway rides in SF, LA and Phoenix and serves San Jose airport (SJC). Reported. Source
- Waymo drops its San Francisco waitlist, so anyone can download the app and ride. Source
Waymo in San Francisco Bay Area: questions
Can I book Waymo through Uber in San Francisco?
Waymo rides in San Francisco are booked only in the Waymo app. Its Uber partnership covers other cities, such as Austin and Atlanta.
Does Waymo take freeways in San Francisco right now?
It isn't confirmed. Waymo paused freeway rides in May 2026 and said on Jul 29, 2026 that the Bay Area would follow Phoenix, but no restoration date for the Bay Area has been confirmed.
Can a 16-year-old ride Waymo alone in San Francisco?
Waymo requires riders in San Francisco to be 18 to travel alone, and it offers no teen accounts anywhere in the Bay Area.
Sources
- Waymo Help Center: Service areas - Waymo Help
- Waymo Help Center: Airport service - Waymo Help
- Waymo: Clear skies and autonomous Waymo rides at SFO, Jan 29, 2026
- KQED: Waymo Expands Service to Bay Area Freeways and San José Airport, Nov 12, 2025
- TechCrunch: Waymo robotaxis are starting to return to freeways, Jul 29, 2026
- Spectrum News: Waymo expands fully autonomous freeway rides in Austin, Sep 24, 2026
- TechCrunch: Waymo opens up San Francisco robotaxi service to everyone, Jun 25, 2024
- ABC7 San Francisco: Waymo announces anyone in SF can now hail driverless car as it retires waitlist, Jun 25, 2024
- TechCrunch: Waymo halts freeway rides after robotaxis struggle in construction zones, May 21, 2026
- SFist: Waymo Temporarily Suspends Freeway Service After Weird Construction Zone Incident Goes Viral, May 22, 2026
- Fox News: Waymo recalls 3,871 robotaxis that drove into freeway construction zones, Jun 23, 2026
"Reported" means one news report that the operator or a regulator hasn't confirmed yet.
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