Waymo announces near-term launch of driverless ride service in Cupertino

Waymo said on May 14 it plans to bring its driverless ride-hailing service to Cupertino in the coming weeks, extending its Bay Area network farther into the West Valley. The company’s expansion also includes Campbell and the Willow Glen and Vista Park neighborhoods of San Jose, according to local reports citing Waymo. The move follows Waymo’s earlier growth in the South Bay, including service tied to San Jose Mineta International Airport. California state agencies, not Cupertino, control whether the company can operate on local streets. ### When are Waymo rides expected to start in Cupertino? Waymo told Bay Area outlets on May 14 that service in Cupertino is expected to begin “in the coming weeks.” NBC Bay Area reported that the company plans to begin operating in Campbell and Cupertino as part of the same near-term expansion. San Jose Spotlight reported the same timeline and said a Waymo spokesperson described the rollout as part of a 60-square-mile service-area increase. (nbcbayarea.com) Cupertino City Manager Pamela Wu’s weekly letter to the City Council on May 15 said Waymo is set to expand its driverless ride-hailing service into Cupertino “in the coming weeks” as part of a broader West Valley rollout. The city letter attributed that update to recent media reports rather than a city permitting action. (nbcbayarea.com) ### How big is the expansion around Cupertino? Waymo’s latest expansion covers about 60 square miles, according to the company’s comments reported by local media. San Jose Spotlight said the added territory would bring Waymo’s total Bay Area service area to more than 330 square miles. NBC Bay Area reported the same figures. The new coverage area reaches beyond central San Jose into suburban parts of Santa Clara County. (cupertino.gov) Cupertino and Campbell are the named West Valley cities in the expansion, along with two San Jose neighborhoods. ### Who decides whether Waymo can operate there? California regulators oversee autonomous-vehicle testing and passenger service approvals, not city governments. (sanjosespotlight.com) San Jose Spotlight reported that local officials in the West Valley have limited authority over whether Waymo can operate on their streets because the California Department of Motor Vehicles and the California Public Utilities Commission handle approvals. The California DMV’s Waymo permit page shows the company has received successive testing and deployment expansions in the Bay Area over several years, including a March 2025 geographic expansion within the Bay Area Peninsula and a broader November 2025 expansion into additional parts of Northern and Southern California. The DMV page also lists Waymo’s earlier driverless testing authorization in Mountain View, Palo Alto, Sunnyvale, Los Altos and Los Altos Hills in October 2018. (sanjosespotlight.com) ### What are local officials saying before the launch? Campbell Mayor Dan Furtado told San Jose Spotlight that his city manager was setting up a meeting with a Waymo representative and that he knew of the plan from news reports. Los Gatos Mayor Rob Moore told the outlet he was surprised to learn municipalities have no authority over autonomous-vehicle operations and said questions remain about liability and public reaction if a serious crash were to occur. (dmv.ca.gov) Sandy Karp, a Waymo spokesperson, told San Jose Spotlight that the enlarged footprint would help residents and visitors move around San Jose safely and efficiently as the region prepares for events including the FIFA World Cup. That statement was tied to the broader South Bay expansion, not a separate Cupertino-specific launch event. ### How does Cupertino fit into Waymo’s broader Bay Area push? (sanjosespotlight.com) Waymo’s official blog said on April 7 that expansions across the San Francisco Bay Area would follow growth in other U.S. cities over the next few weeks. The company has been steadily widening its operating map in California as it adds new markets and service zones. The next concrete milestone for Cupertino is the start of public service in the city in the coming weeks, according to Waymo’s statements reported on May 14 and the Cupertino city manager’s May 15 letter to council. (sanjosespotlight.com) Residents looking for a city update can find Cupertino’s reference in the May 15 weekly letter, while Waymo’s operating authority remains subject to California’s DMV and CPUC framework. (nbcbayarea.com) (waymo.com)