Waymo heads to the airport, an Uber Teen crash, and drivers fight a ban. LegalRideshare breaks it down.
WAYMO COMES TO SAN FRANSISCO AIRPORT
Waymo is heading to the airport. Mission Local reported:
Multiple sources have confirmed that Mayor Daniel Lurie’s administration has struck a deal with Waymo to let the autonomous vehicle company into San Francisco International Airport to “map” its environs for future autonomous use.
The move is a precursor to full service by robo-taxis at SFO, which would allow passengers to hail the driverless cars and be dropped off by them at the Bay Area’s busiest airport, a financial boon for the company and the crown jewel in its Bay Area expansion plan in San Francisco, the Peninsula and the South Bay.
SFO would become the first airport across California where Waymo can operate, but it came at a cost to the company, which agreed to several concessions to obtain the needed permit.
Namely, Waymo will not be allowed to engage in any commercial activity at the airport, and it will share some data with the San Francisco city government. The nature and extent of the data sharing is not yet clear.
UBER TEEN CRASH
An Uber Teen crash raises serious concerns. NBC4 reported:
A Reno family is raising concerns about the safety of Uber’s ride-sharing service for teenagers after a harrowing incident involving their 15-year-old son, Huck Zander.
On February 8, Huck used the Uber Teen service to travel to Mt. Rose Ski Resort. However, the ride took a dangerous turn when the driver allegedly snorted a substance and passed out, causing the car to crash.
Uber for teens promotes itself as a service with “highly rated” and “experienced” drivers who undergo thorough background checks. However, Laura found this misleading. “Technically it says highly rated drivers, not highly vetted,” she said.
DRIVERS DEMAND BAN GET LIFTED
Drivers banned at the airport are demanding reinstatement. WSMV 4 reported:
The Tennessee Drivers Union (TDU) will deliver a letter today to the Metro Nashville Airport Authority Board demanding the drivers who were banned from working at the airport be reinstated.
The Airport Authority reportedly banned 34 drivers from picking up riders at Nashville International Airport (BNA) after they participated in a protest in February 2025. It was the largest ban on drivers for protesting in ridesharing history, according to the announcement.
The protest was executed on February 14, Valentine’s Day, at BNA and was part of a global strike where drivers refused to accept rides.
In Tennessee, the TDU used the strike to urge Tennessee State Legislators to pass House Bill 0879, which bans out-of-state drivers from working in Nashville.
In the message to drivers, Uber claimed the ban was due to the driver picking up riders in the arrivals terminal. This message was sent to people who weren’t driving their cars during the protest, according to TDU.
