Waymos are ferrying paying customers from SF and elsewhere to San Francisco International Airport for the first time on Thursday, but the robocars will not be able to take you directly to the terminals, at least not yet.

It appears that we are in the final phase of the testing period for Waymo, as laid out in a permit they were granted last September to begin testing service to SFO. And as of Thursday morning, Waymo vehicles began taking a limited number of paying passengers to and from the airport. But, as the company announced on its blog, all pickups and drop-offs will occur at the SFO Rental Car Center — passengers will need to take the AirTrain from there to get to their terminal, so not quite door-to-door service.

Waymo said Thursday that it has "plans to serve additional airport locations like the terminals in the future."

Also, for now, the airport service is only being made available to "a select number of riders," the company says, and it "will gradually welcome all riders over the coming months." That means that Waymo customers flying in for the Super Bowl may not be able to take advantage of the service.

This marks a significant milestone for the autonomous taxi service, after it first began being allowed to take passengers on freeways two months ago. And it follows several months in which Waymo was testing service at SFO with drivers behind the wheel, and then autonomously with airport employees as passengers.

"Serving rides to and from San Francisco International Airport delivers one of the most requested features for our riders and further deepens our relationship with the city," says Waymo co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana, in a statement. "With millions traveling in for major events this year, we look forward to meeting the growing demand for reliable, fully autonomous rides. We are proud to offer a service that is improving road safety in San Francisco and providing a magical start or end to Bay Area journeys."

SFO Director Mike Nakornkhet adds in a release that the introduction of Waymo "demonstrates our continued commitment to providing an extraordinary travel experience with transportation options that are safe, sustainable, and reliable."

Obviously, as Waymos roll out at the airport, there could be hiccups. The usual scrum of civilian cars, taxis, and Ubers/Lyfts jockeying for curb space at the airport's four terminals will only be made worse with the somestimes jerky and hesitant autonomous vehicles squeezing through as well. We'll see!

Waymo's fleet now covers 260 square miles in the Bay Area, including parts of the South Bay and North Bay.

Previously: Waymo Launches Freeway Service In Bay Area and LA For Select Users, SFO Service Still to Come

Photo courtesy of Waymo