Waymo’s fleet of driverless cars just got the green light to head into San Jose.  The NBC Bay Area Investigative Unit broke the news Monday.  Waymo’s current expansion plans also include San Francisco’s airport, where Waymo is now approved to begin the process of “mapping” the area in ho pes of ultimately dispatching its fleet of self-driving cars to pick up and drop off passengers at SFO. The newly awarded permit will allow Waymo to utilize up to two of its vehicles at a time, with an actual human riding in the driver’s seat, to travel around the airport and train its fleet of driverless cars where and where not to go when shuttling passengers to and from SFO. “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,” San Franciso Mayor Daniel Lurie said in a statement.  “This agreement is another example of how San Francisco is driving innovation while supporting our economic recovery.” The mapping process, which is expected to take a couple of weeks, is just the first step.  Waymo will then need to get permission from the airport, again, to start test driving the vehicles at SFO – first with safety drivers in the front seat and then, ultimately, with no drivers at all. Hailing a driverless ride to and from the airport could still be a long road ahead.  While Waymo is permitted to operate its vehicles on surrounding highways, the company has yet to include freeways on its allowable routes.  Waymo is still conducting testing and, as a result, has limited highway driving to only certain passengers: including employees and their friends and family. Waymo first began driverless testing in 2017 in Phoenix and has since deployed self-driving fleets in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Austin, Mountain View, Los Altos, Palo Alto, and parts of Sunnyvale. Also on Monday, Waymo received approval from the California DMV to begin certain driverless operations in San Jose, including test drives with and without passengers. “Waymo embodies our region’s spirit of innovation – so it’s about time they joined us here in the Capitol of Silicon Valley,” San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan said in a statement.  “They’ll fit right in alongside our AI civic pilot programs and AI startup incentives as we redefine how cities deliver services, including giving people more options for getting where they need to go.” While Waymo has secured the necessary permits from the DMV to operate on roadways in San Jose, it must also obtain separate approval from regulators at the California Public Utilities Commission before it can begin charging passengers and officially offer its ride-hailing services to the public. “We’re grateful for the CA DMV’s review,” a Waymo spokesperson said in a statement.  “This decision enables us to expand the scope of our driverless operations, and brings us a step closer to bringing the benefits of Waymo One to more people in the Bay Area.” Watch our entire investigative series Part 1: Driverless cars seek San Francisco expansion despite worries tech is unsafe Part 2: CPUC votes to expand driverless car operations in San Francisco Part 3: San Francisco city attorney files motion to pump the brakes on driverless cars Part 4: Google’s Waymo says insurance data shows its driverless cars are safer than humans Part 5: Hit-and-run driver strikes pedestrian, tossing her into path of Cruise car in San Francisco Part 6: Driverless trucks and robot deliveries promise fewer traffic jams than robotaxis Part 7: Cruise says its robotaxis can now better detect emergency vehicles Part 8: California DMV orders Cruise’s driverless cars off the road Part 9: Driverless cars immune from traffic tickets in California under current laws Part 10: GM’s Cruise lays off nearly 25% of its workforce Part 11: Waymo’s driverless cars surpass 7 million miles, but are they safer than human drivers? Part 12: Cruise probe blames poor internet, bad leadership, and “flawed” decisions for company’s woes Part 13: Driverless Cruise car accused of almost hitting 7 yr old after similar close call involving kids Part 14: Cruise offers to pay $112,500 in fines to settle claims driverless car company misled regulators Part 15: Uber Eats now uses Waymo Self-Driving cars to offer driverless deliveries Part 16: Bills aimed at closing traffic ticket loophole for driverless cars get initial green light Part 17: School crossing guards say they’ve had to dodge driverless cars to avoid being hit Part 18: Cruise ordered to pay $112,500 in penalties for withholding info from regulators Part 19: Waymo waitlist over in SF, all can hail driverless cars Part 20: SF Mayor vows to hold driverless car companies accountable after NBC Bay Area report Part 21: San Francisco govt. officials meet with Waymo to discuss safety concerns near schools Part 22: California DMV gears up to allow driverless trucking despite calls to restrict high-tech big rigs Part 23: Cruise to abandon robotaxi business after tumultuous year Part 24: Waymo’s robotaxis surpass 25 million miles, but are they safer than humans? Part 25: Waymo robotaxi rear-ended in fatal multi-car collision in San Francisco Part 26: Multi-car wreck slams into Waymo, marks first time a driverless car is involved in deadly collision Part 27: Waymo’s driverless cars reach Silicon Valley, but when can you hail a ride to SFO airport? Contact The Investigative Unit submit tips | 1-888-996-TIPS | e-mail Bigad Follow @BigadShaban on social media Bigad Shaban ...read more read less