Wednesday, December 4, 2024, Zoox self-driving robotaxi in San Francisco, California, USA.
David Paul Morris | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Zoox on Tuesday began allowing some users in San Francisco to make self-driving car rides. AmazonOwned robotaxi service for of the alphabet Waymo enters the market for the first time.
The company said passengers can sign up for the Zoox Explorers program and ride free of charge in its boxy vehicles in select areas of San Francisco, including SoMa and the Mission and Design District.
Zoox plans to take users off the waiting list depending on their location and as it adds more robotaxis to its fleet. Zoox spokeswoman Marisa Whigham said the company hopes to eliminate the waiting list completely in 2026.
Founded in 2014 and acquired by Amazon for $1.3 billion in 2020, Zoox is building a robotaxi business aimed at competing with Waymo. But unlike other vehicles in the robotaxi space, Zoox’s vehicle does not have a steering wheel, and the company chose to design its robotaxi from scratch.
Zoox reached a major milestone in September when it opened its robotaxi service to the public for the first time in Las Vegas. The company is offering free rides in and around the Las Vegas Strip while it waits for regulatory approval for the paid service.
Since 2017, the company has been testing self-driving technology in a modified Toyota Highlander SUV in San Francisco. The company began deploying toaster-shaped driverless shuttles on the streets of San Francisco last year, and has since allowed friends and family of Zoox employees to hail robotaxis in parts of the city.
Zoox told CNBC in September that it had deployed 50 robotaxis between San Francisco and Las Vegas.
Waymo launched service to all passengers in San Francisco in June 2024. Since launching in Phoenix in 2020, Waymo has provided more than 10 million paid rides, the company announced in May.
Last week, Google’s sister company announced it would launch freeway rides in the San Francisco, Los Angeles and Phoenix markets. Waymo also said it will expand its service to include San Jose and San Jose Mineta International Airport.
As Zoox built its service, Amazon deployed test fleets in Seattle, Austin, Los Angeles, Atlanta, and Washington, DC.
WATCH: Amazon’s Zoox enters US robotaxis race with launch in Las Vegas
