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Anyone can ride Waymo to the San Antonio airport now. The flood fix is still listed in development
Waymo opened its San Antonio robotaxis to anyone with its app, the airport included. Its federal flood recall still lists the remedy as under development.
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Waymo said that from October 14th, 2026 anyone with its app in San Antonio, San Diego and Tampa can hail a fully autonomous ride. San Antonio International Airport is included. The city's Director of Airports called the airport service a significant milestone in a statement Waymo published. The director said locals catching an early flight now have a new way to get to and from the airport.
The same week, the remedy field on the federal recall record for Waymo's flood defect still said the remedy is under development. The service opened to everyone while the permanent fix for driving into standing water was still listed as unfinished.
From invitation to anyone
On February 24th, 2026 Waymo said it was taking its first public riders in Dallas, Houston, San Antonio and Orlando. It invited them from the tens of thousands of people across those four cities who had downloaded its app. It said it would open the service to everyone later in the year.
Texas Public Radio reported that the San Antonio service began in a limited area of 60 square miles.
The creek and the recall
Texas Public Radio reported that a Waymo vehicle was swept into Salado Creek by floodwater during heavy rain on April 20th, 2026. The car had no one inside and nobody was hurt. Earlier that April another Waymo vehicle was stranded in floodwaters near McCullough Avenue and Contour Drive, the station reported.
NHTSA's recall record says the software may let a vehicle slow down and then drive into standing water on higher speed roads. It says entering a flooded road can cause a loss of vehicle control and raises the risk of a crash or injury. Texas Public Radio reported that the recall notice said the vehicle detected the flooded road and kept going at a reduced speed.
The recall covers certain 5th and 6th generation Waymo automated driving systems, and the record lists 3791 potentially affected units. Waymo LLC is the manufacturer on the campaign.
The pause, and what changed in the meantime
Texas Public Radio reported in May that Waymo had been operating in San Antonio that week without serving riders. The station called the flood pause the company's longest in the city to date, a period in which it reviewed its flood monitoring procedures and safety protocols. Waymo had said it would reexamine how its vehicles respond to flood prone areas and severe weather alerts before restarting service. On May 10th the station reported that Waymo was expected to resume service in San Antonio that week.
As an interim step Waymo narrowed its operations with tighter weather limits and updated its vehicle maps. It told NHTSA that every affected vehicle had received that interim update by April 20th, 2026.
What the record doesn't say yet
The record's remedy field, read on the reporting date, still describes the remedy as under development. It does not say when a permanent fix will arrive or what it will change about how the car behaves at the edge of standing water.
Sources for this story
- Waymo, rides open to anyone in San Antonio, San Diego and Tampa
- Waymo, first public riders in Dallas, Houston, San Antonio and Orlando
- NHTSA recall record, campaign 26E026000, Waymo LLC
- Texas Public Radio, Waymo recalls almost 3,800 robotaxis after flooding incident in San Antonio
- Texas Public Radio, Waymo set to return to San Antonio after flood incidents paused service
Claim-by-claim verification · 27 claims
Waymo said that from October 14th, 2026 anyone with its app in San Antonio, San Diego and Tampa can hail a fully autonomous ride, with San Antonio International Airport included. This is the company's own announcement.
Starting today, anyone in San Antonio, San Diego, and Tampa can download the Waymo app and hail a fully autonomous ride, including the San Antonio International Airport.
Jesus Saenz, Director of Airports for the City of San Antonio Aviation, called Waymo's airport service a significant milestone for Waymo, the city and travelers, in a statement Waymo published.
Waymo offering fully autonomous rides at the airport marks a significant milestone for Waymo, our city and travelers.
Saenz said visitors heading downtown and locals catching an early flight now have a new way to get to and from the airport.
Whether visitors are heading downtown or locals are catching an early-morning flight, they now have a new option to get there.
Waymo says it has welcomed hundreds of thousands of riders across San Antonio, San Diego and Tampa combined since opening service there earlier in the year. The figure is the company's own and covers all three cities together, with no count for San Antonio alone.
We’ve welcomed hundreds of thousands of riders in these cities since opening our service earlier in the year
On February 24th, 2026 Waymo said it was taking its first public riders in Dallas, Houston, San Antonio and Orlando.
Today, we continue our accelerated growth and welcome the first public riders into our fully autonomous ride-hailing service in four new cities: Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, and Orlando.
Waymo said the first riders were invited from the tens of thousands of people across those four cities who had downloaded its app. The figure covers all four cities together.
Select riders from the tens of thousands in these cities who have downloaded the Waymo app will receive an invitation to take their first local rides today.
In February Waymo said it would invite riders on a rolling basis and open the service to everyone later in 2026.
We will be inviting new riders on a rolling basis to ensure a seamless experience across our initial service areas, as we meaningfully scale our operations ahead of opening our service to everyone later this year.
NHTSA's recall record says the Waymo software may let a vehicle slow down and then drive into standing water on higher speed roads.
The software may allow the vehicle to slow and then drive into standing water on higher speed roadways.
The recall record says driving into a flooded road can cause a loss of vehicle control and raises the risk of a crash or injury.
Entering a flooded roadway can cause a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash or injury.
As of October 16th, 2026 the recall's remedy field still says the remedy is under development. As an interim step Waymo narrowed its operations with tighter weather limits and updated its vehicle maps.
The remedy is currently under development. As an interim remedy, Waymo modified the scope of vehicle operations to increase weather-related constraints and updated the vehicle maps.
Waymo told NHTSA that every affected vehicle had received the interim update by April 20th, 2026.
All affected vehicles received the interim update by April 20, 2026.
The recall covers certain 5th and 6th generation Waymo automated driving systems.
Waymo LLC (Waymo) is recalling certain 5th and 6th Generation Automated Driving Systems (ADS).
NHTSA's record lists 3791 potentially affected units in the recall.
"PotentialNumberofUnitsAffected":3791
Waymo LLC is the manufacturer on NHTSA campaign 26E026000. The record's report received date reads 01/05/2026, which in this record's day first format is May 1st, 2026.
"NHTSACampaignNumber":"26E026000","ReportReceivedDate":"01/05/2026"
Texas Public Radio reported that a Waymo vehicle was swept into Salado Creek by floodwater during heavy rain on April 20th, 2026.
The Waymo vehicle was swept up in flood waters and washed into Salado Creek during heavy rains on April 20.
The car in the Salado Creek incident had no one inside and nobody was hurt.
The car was unoccupied and no one was injured in the incident.
Earlier in April another Waymo vehicle was stranded in floodwaters near McCullough Avenue and Contour Drive, according to Texas Public Radio.
In an earlier incident that occurred earlier in April, another Waymo vehicle became stranded in floodwaters near McCullough Avenue and Contour Drive.
Texas Public Radio reported that the recall notice said the vehicle detected the flooded road and kept going at a reduced speed.
The recall notice said while the vehicle detected the flooded road, it continued on its path and proceeded at a reduced speed.
Texas Public Radio reported that the recall covered nearly 3,800 fifth and sixth generation vehicles and was filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
The company issued the recall of nearly 3,800 fifth- and sixth-generation vehicles to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Texas Public Radio reported on May 13th, 2026 that Waymo had been operating in San Antonio that week without serving riders.
Waymo operations had been ongoing this week in San Antonio following the flooding incident, but without serving riders.
Texas Public Radio reported that Waymo started in San Antonio in February in a limited service area of 60 square miles.
Waymo began operations in San Antonio in February in a limited service area covering 60 square miles of the city.
Texas Public Radio called the flood pause Waymo's longest in San Antonio to date. During it the company reviewed its flood monitoring procedures and safety protocols.
The service pause has been the company’s longest in San Antonio to date as Waymo reviewed its flood monitoring procedures and safety protocols.
Texas Public Radio reported that Waymo had said it would reexamine how its vehicles respond to flood prone areas and severe weather alerts before restarting service.
Waymo previously said it would reevaluate how its vehicles respond to flood-prone areas and severe weather alerts before restarting service.
Texas Public Radio wrote that the San Antonio rollout has raised broader questions about how self driving vehicles deal with emergency responders in severe weather and other emergencies.
Waymo’s rollout in San Antonio has also raised broader questions about how self-driving vehicles interact with emergency responders during severe weather and other emergencies.
A second Waymo recall, campaign 26E035000, covers 5th generation systems whose software could enter a closed freeway construction zone and keep driving at speed.
The software may allow the vehicle to enter a closed freeway construction zone and continue driving at speed.
Texas Public Radio reported on May 10th, 2026 that Waymo was expected to resume service in San Antonio that week, after suspending operations following two flood related incidents.
Autonomous ride-hailing company Waymo is expected to resume service in San Antonio this week after suspending operations following two flood-related incidents involving its self-driving vehicles.
NHTSA's record for a second Waymo recall, campaign 26E035000, gives its report received date as 13/06/2026, which can only be read day first. It is the evidence for reading c14's 01/05/2026 as May 1st.
"NHTSACampaignNumber":"26E035000","ReportReceivedDate":"13/06/2026"