Waymo operates across more than 120 square miles in Los Angeles but there’s one place it still can’t operate: LAX. Now, the company is asking riders to help change that.
In an email titled “Help bring Waymo to LAX,” the company tells riders it is actively working with airport leadership and asks them to support autonomous rides to LAX. “Your voice can make the difference,” the email says.
Even though I’m an active Waymo user here in LA, I didn’t receive the e-mail or see anything in my app. But from screenshots on social media, it looks like a number of folks did. The link takes you to a page where you can input your information and then Waymo drafts an editable e-mail that you can send to LA Mayor Karen Bass, your local city council member and LAX leadership.
Waymo’s LAX Workaround
For anyone who regularly flies out of Los Angeles, the appeal here is easy to understand. Airport trips are a great use case for ride-hailing, and LAX remains a gap in Waymo’s service.
The company serves the surrounding area, but excludes LAX. You can’t book a pickup or drop-off at the terminals.
There is a workaround though: take a Waymo to the LAX/Metro Transit Center and transfer to the free shuttle serving the terminals. Some riders report using that connection with enthusiasm, and Metro confirms the shuttle departs from bus bays 1 and 2. I’m planning to try it soon to see how the cost, transfer time and luggage experience compare with a regular airport ride, but obviously, getting dropped off curbside would seem to be more convenient.
That transfer should eventually become easier when the airport’s Automated People Mover opens. But the project, originally expected to open in 2023, has been delayed again and again, with the latest projected opening now January 2027.
Frankly, I’m not holding my breath. As a lifelong LA resident, the repeated delays are embarrassing for the city. If you’re interested, here’s a good breakdown of what went wrong with the People Mover.
How Other Airports Handle Waymo
Other airports have already found ways to accommodate Waymo. Its current airport service guide lists terminal curbside pickups and drop-offs at Phoenix Sky Harbor. At San Jose Mineta, passengers can be dropped off at departures, with pickups at designated locations. San Antonio also has terminal service for riders with access to Waymo there.
San Francisco offers a more limited model. Waymo serves the Rental Car Center and Grand Hyatt at SFO, where passengers connect to the terminals using AirTrain. Its guide still describes SFO access as limited to a subset of riders. Although it also appears that Waymo is testing curbside dropoff for employees.
So what is holding up LAX?
Even though Waymo is regulated by the California Public Utilities Commission, the commission explicitly requires separate authorization from the relevant airport authority.
In a February 18 report to the City Council, Los Angeles World Airports said it had been discussing access with Waymo but had no timeline for permitting autonomous vehicle operations. Before granting access, LAX said it needed to develop an autonomous vehicle licensing agreement and secure approval from the Board of Airport Commissioners.
The agreement would set fees, reporting requirements and operating rules. The airport also described coordination with first responders and consultations with other airports, existing transportation operators and the Teamsters.
There is another important question: if Waymo does get permission, where would passengers actually meet the car?
LAX already has a fragmented pickup system. UberX and Lyft riders are generally directed to take a shuttle to the LAX-it lot, while eligible Uber Black and Lyft Black vehicles can pick up curbside at the terminals.
LAX lists Uber, Lyft and Opoli as authorized ride app providers, with standard ride app pickups directed to LAX-it. Separately permitted charter-party operators can pick up at the terminals. But LAX makes clear that a state charter-party carrier license alone is insufficient: an airport permit is still required.
Waymo holds a charter-party carrier license, but that does not automatically give it the right to pick up or drop off passengers curbside. Even if Waymo receives permission to serve LAX, the airport would still need to determine where those rides can begin and end.
My Take
Waymo can already take me across most of Los Angeles. But it can’t take me to the place where a ride-hailing service is arguably most useful.
That feels increasingly hard to justify as Waymo expands across the region and other airports find ways to accommodate autonomous vehicles. At this point, the question isn’t whether Waymo can technically serve LAX. It’s when LAX will create a framework that allows it to.
Readers, what do you think? Is there any reason Waymo shouldn’t be allowed to operate at LAX?
-Harry