When Could Waymo Start Pickups Here?

The California Public Utilities Commission approved Waymo’s updated passenger safety plan on May 19, 2025, allowing the company to expand its Phase I driverless deployment service in additional parts of the Bay Area Peninsula. The approval followed a March 26, 2025 filing by Waymo tied to a California Department of Motor Vehicles expansion of the company’s deployment territory. (cpuc.ca.gov) Cupertino sits inside the broader geography local outlets have described as Waymo’s West Valley expansion area, but app-based pickups there had not started as of mid-May 2026. State regulators, not Cupertino, control the core approvals for driverless passenger service in California. (cupertinotoday.com) ### So can Waymo legally pick up passengers in Cupertino now? The May 19, 2025 CPUC disposition letter said Waymo’s updated passenger safety plan was approved for an expanded operational design domain, and the DMV’s timeline shows a March 2025 geographic expansion for driverless testing and deployment within the Bay Area Peninsula. (cpuc.ca.gov) Those two approvals are the main state-level permissions needed for Waymo to run driverless passenger service in an expanded area. Cupertino officials do not issue those permits. San José Spotlight reported on May 13, 2026 that California regulators — chiefly the DMV and CPUC — oversee autonomous vehicle approvals, leaving local governments with little authority over whether Waymo operates on city streets. (cpuc.ca.gov) ### If the permits are in place, why haven’t pickups started? As of May 14, 2026, Cupertino Today reported that Waymo app users still could not set pickups or drop-offs in Cupertino even after regulators approved operations in Cupertino and other West Valley cities. That means regulatory approval and rider availability are not the same thing. Waymo’s own approved operating domain gives the company room to phase service in gradually. The CPUC’s operating-domain statement says Waymo may “dynamically adjust” operating parameters, including geographic areas, for some or all vehicles at various times. (cpuc.ca.gov) That allows the company to hold back certain streets or cities while it completes mapping, fleet positioning, rider support, or other launch work. That last point is an inference from the operating structure regulators approved, not a public launch date from Waymo. (sanjosespotlight.com) ### Does Cupertino itself get to decide the launch date? Cupertino does not appear to have a formal veto. San José Spotlight quoted Campbell Mayor Dan Furtado as saying local officials were still arranging meetings with Waymo representatives, and Los Gatos Mayor Rob Moore said he was surprised municipalities had no authority over autonomous vehicle operations. (cupertinotoday.com) Those comments reflected how nearby West Valley officials were learning about the rollout after state approvals were already in place. The CPUC’s autonomous vehicle passenger service page says the commission authorizes prearranged passenger transportation in autonomous vehicles, while the DMV determines whether those vehicles can operate on public roads and issues deployment permits. That division of authority leaves cities mainly reacting to, rather than authorizing, expansion. (cpuc.ca.gov) ### What else has to happen before a rider in Cupertino can book one? Waymo already has a driverless deployment permit on the CPUC’s issued-permits page, and that same page lists airport authorizations including San Jose Airport. The remaining hurdle for Cupertino is not a fresh city permit shown in the state records reviewed here, but operational activation inside Waymo’s service area. (sanjosespotlight.com) The DMV’s Waymo page says the company’s approved operating conditions include all times of day and night, all speed limits, and a broad range of weather conditions, with exceptions such as widespread snow or ice accumulation. Those permissions describe the outer boundary of what is allowed; they do not require Waymo to open every approved city at once. (cpuc.ca.gov) ### So when could pickups actually begin? San José Spotlight reported on May 13, 2026 that Waymo would begin operating in West Valley cities including Cupertino “in the coming weeks.” Cupertino Today reported two days later that pickups still were not bookable in the app as of May 14. Taken together, the public record points to a near-term rollout window, but no verified public launch date for Cupertino pickups was posted in the state documents reviewed here. (cpuc.ca.gov) The next concrete milestone is visible in the app, not at City Hall: when Waymo activates Cupertino pickup and drop-off points for riders. Until then, the dated regulatory markers remain March 17, 2025 for the DMV’s Bay Area expansion approval and May 19, 2025 for the CPUC’s approval of Waymo’s updated passenger safety plan. (sanjosespotlight.com) (dmv.ca.gov)