Waymo Driverless Cars Eye Cupertino Launch

Waymo said on May 14 that it plans to bring its driverless ride-hailing service to Cupertino in the coming weeks, extending a South Bay push that also includes Campbell and the Willow Glen and Vista Park neighborhoods of San Jose. A Waymo spokesperson told San Jose Spotlight the expansion would cover about 60 square miles and lift the company’s Bay Area service area to more than 330 square miles. (sanjosespotlight.com) KRON4 reported the same timeline on Thursday night and said Cupertino Mayor Kitty Moore had been briefed by company representatives. California regulators, not Cupertino, control whether Waymo can operate driverless vehicles on public streets. The California Department of Motor Vehicles says Waymo received Bay Area geographic expansion authority for driverless testing and deployment in March 2025, and a broader Northern California expansion in November 2025. (dmv.ca.gov) Waymo’s public help page says its San Francisco Bay Area service operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with access determined through the app. ### When could someone in Cupertino actually book a ride? Waymo said rides in Cupertino could begin “in the coming weeks,” according to reports published May 13 and May 14. (sanjosespotlight.com) KRON4 said an exact launch date was not yet known. Patch framed the question around how soon pickups could start, but the clearest reported timeline so far is still the company’s “coming weeks” guidance. The rider-facing test is practical rather than regulatory. Waymo’s service-area page says availability appears in the app, which is how customers can tell whether a pickup point is live inside the Bay Area operating zone. ### Why is Cupertino showing up now? San Jose was the company’s earlier South Bay beachhead. (dmv.ca.gov) San Jose Spotlight reported that the Cupertino and Campbell move follows Waymo’s recent expansion into San Jose and service at San Jose Mineta International Airport. NBC Bay Area also said on May 14 that the company was moving beyond central San Jose into additional neighborhoods. The Bay Area map has been widening for more than a year. California DMV records show Waymo’s California approvals moved from Peninsula cities such as Mountain View and Palo Alto to San Francisco, Los Angeles and then broader Bay Area territory. (sanjosespotlight.com) That sequence helps explain why Cupertino, next to Mountain View and Sunnyvale, is part of the next operating ring. (support.google.com) ### What do local officials say about the rollout? Cupertino Mayor Kitty Moore told KRON4 that Waymo representatives visited her the week before the expansion news. Moore said residents want to see how the service develops and pointed to safety as the central issue, saying, “We have to make sure that’s the case here,” after referring to company safety ratings. (sanjosespotlight.com) San Jose City Councilmember Michael Mulcahy told KRON4 he was “not surprised” to see the service reach Willow Glen and said he had taken several rides himself. He also said residents were likely to have mixed reactions and that safety and traffic speed were common concerns. ### Does Cupertino have the power to approve or block it? (dmv.ca.gov) California state agencies hold the key approvals. KRON4 reported that individual cities do not approve autonomous vehicle operations on their own streets, and DMV records show the state has already granted Waymo deployment authority across expanded Bay Area territory. The California Public Utilities Commission separately oversees passenger service rules and safety-plan filings tied to commercial operations. (kron4.com) That structure has shaped the local conversation. San Jose Spotlight reported that West Valley officials are weighing safety and transit effects even as the company moves toward service in their cities. (kron4.com) ### What should riders watch for next? The next concrete sign will be app availability inside Cupertino. Waymo’s service page says Bay Area rides are available through the app, and local reports say Cupertino is part of the next expansion wave alongside Campbell and parts of San Jose. Until Waymo posts a launch date, the company’s current timetable remains “the coming weeks.” (support.google.com) (sanjosespotlight.com) (kron4.com)