Waymo's self-driving cars hitting Bay Area freeways, expanding to San Jose

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- Waymo officially expanded its footprint in the Bay Area and broke free of its restrictions on city streets in San Francisco.

Riders can now sign up to take robotaxi rides on the freeway and to and from San Jose International Airport - the first airport in the state with that access.

MORE: Waymo set to bring robotaxi services to SFO after two required safety phases

"Well, this is great timing," San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan said. "We have the world's biggest sporting events coming to San Jose next year, Super Bowl, March Madness and the World Cup all happening here in the San Jose Metro, we want options for getting around."

Visitors will be able to take a Waymo at the San Jose International Airport, only the second airport in the country to offer service.

There are autonomous vehicle drop-off spots at both Terminal A and B - separate from other rideshares.

SJC Director of Aviation Mookie Patel says Waymo is the perfect option for San Jose.

"This is a great fit," Patel said. "It allows for great connectivity for business travelers that want to get efficiently over to Mountain View, Santa Clara, Sunnyvale and communities where their companies are headquartered and we are the closest choice for that."

Despite the official rollout, we actually had a hard time booking Waymo from the airport today.

When some checked out the app and tried to enter where they wanted to go, there was a message that said, "You're outside of the service area."

MORE: How Waymo went from secret Google project to dominant robotaxi company

From what we understand, only a select few have been able to get on the waitlist early enough to get a ride at SJC, like Sunnyvale's Phil Baltar.

"I got an email saying that I got access, so I just took a quick trip for lunch," Baltar said. "I was coming from Sunnyvale, then I'm just gonna head right back there. It wasa smooth ride and it's fast and convenient. I haven't had any issues."

We only saw two cars over several hours Wednesday. Waymo says they will gradually expand access in San Jose and for freeway rides.

But before that time, UC Berkeley Professor Scott Moura says Waymo will have to continue to prove it's the best option for riders.

"We're seeing a lot of growth in the Bay Area and California because this is where all the tech companies are, right," Moura said. "But, residents should keep asking the question, is this safer?"

Waymo is only operating in Central San Jose for now, but it's expected to expand throughout the city in time for the major sporting events in 2026.