Autonomous cars from Waymo began driving around Denver’s streets this month. While they’re still in training mode and have a human driver doing the legwork, the driverless ride-service company has big plans for Colorado’s future: airport service.
“We can’t wait to at some point serve Denver International Airport,” said Suzanne Philion, Waymo’s vice president of marketing, communications and public affairs. “That’s an ongoing conversation that we’re having with airport authorities that we’re really excited about.”
Philion, who lives in Denver, hosted a launch party at the Stellar Jay restaurant Tuesday evening on the top of Populus, an eco-friendly hotel that has no onsite parking.
A Waymo car was parked on the sidewalk outside the hotel. The white all-electric Jaguar I-PACE with an Arizona license plate has been roaming around the city since Sept. 3, along with about a dozen others. They’re hard to miss with their spinning cap on the roof and what looks like flaring nostrils on its two front edges of their hoods — HD cameras and long-range and short-range lidar sensors to help measure distance.
LEFT: On top of Waymo’s autonomous Jaguar I-PACE vehicle, a lidar is perched on top of four cameras that provide a 360-degree view for the vehicle’s computer system, which is stored underneath the back cargo area. RIGHT: Next to front side-view mirrors, there are two more cameras that act as additional “eyes” for the car. It’s like when a driver cranes their neck at a stop sign to see if it’s safe to turn the corner, explained Waymo spokesperson Sandy Karp, during an event to launch Waymo’s debut in Denver on Sept. 16, 2025. (Tamara Chaung, The Colorado Sun)
The souped-up Jaguars will be joined by newer vehicles that are made for snowy winter weather. The one parked outside Populus, though, was missing tiny windshield wipers for the sensors to make sure they stay clean in rain, snow and sleet. That feature will be in newer-versions of the vehicles heading to Denver.
Waymo picked Denver as part of its push into colder climates. It announced New York last month and Washington, D.C., in March. But customers can’t ride it in either place yet.
The company has only committed to a vague “2026” as the date when the public can start hailing a Waymo vehicle in Denver and D.C.
Getting to the airport? That’s likely even further out.
However, airport spokesperson Michael Konopasek said “When Waymo is ready to operate at DEN, we will be working with them to understand the operation.”
Waymo began offering customer rides in Phoenix in 2020. Consumers today can also hail an autotaxi Waymo ride in Atlanta, Austin, Los Angeles and San Francisco. There are currently about 2,000 driverless cars providing rides in those cities.
In Denver, human drivers are manually driving the cars. After certain safety benchmarks are passed, the humans will just ride along in the driver’s seat as a backstop. And ultimately, there won’t be a driver at all, though the first phase of driver-free rides will be reserved for company employees.
On Tuesday, the company said it was granted a permit to begin testing service to San Francisco International Airport. Service would start after much training, testing and validation, first with human drivers, then without and then launching to the public. Two weeks earlier, it gained approval for the San Jose Mineta International Airport.
“We have a great track record. We’ve been serving Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport since 2022 and just over the last couple of weeks, we’ve shared that we’re opening up both San Jose and SFO,” Philion said. “The airport route is very, very interesting and one that riders are clamoring for. We’ll be excited to bring that to Denver at some point.”